HE BIBLE STUDY MflSto 



APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

Wr— 

p. Copyright No. 

ShelfJBtAfe 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE BIBLE STUDY UNION GRADED LESSON SYSTEM 

FORMERLY CALLED THE BLAKESLEE GRADED LESSON SYSTEM 



THE BIBLE STUDY MANUAL 

Notes and Library Extracts on 

%ty $f£tor£ of t^e apojstolfc C^urc^ 



EDITORS 

Rev. ERASTUS BLAKESLEE 

AND 

Prof. PHILIP A. NORDELL. d.d. 




f 

BIBLE STUDY- PUBLISHING CO., 
21 Bromfield Street, 
BOSTON, MASS. 



1 






Copyright, 1894 and 1895, 
By The Bible Study Publishing Co. 



The Library 
of Congress 



WASHINGTON 



PREFACE. 



The Manual is designed to stimulate Bible study by exhibiting the 
facts and truths of the Bible in their historic setting of time, place and 
circumstance ; and by making practical application of these truths to the 
wants of daily life. 

The special purpose of each of the several departments of the Manual 
may be summarized thus : — 

The Outlook presents from time to time matters of general interest in 
connection with improved methods of Bible study. It is designed to be 
a report of progress, an assistance to teachers, and a means of communi- 
cation with those using The Bible Study Union Lessons. Correspondence 
as to methods used, results achieved, or information wanted will be gladly 
welcome. 

The Editorial Notes state the purpose of each lesson and give sug- 
gestions as to methods of preparing and teaching it. 

The Library Extracts supplement the Biblical narrative of the 
lesson with the best obtainable external information concerning it. These 
extracts are taken from standard histories, commentaries and other books 
relating to the times and lives of the apostles, books of travel and explo- 
ration in the Holy Land, and geographical and archaeological works. 

The Practical Suggestions notice and briefly enforce some of the 
more important teachings of the lesson, and are intended to help the 
teacher in applying its truths to the heart and conscience. 

The Additional Topics with Library References are designed to 
widen the possible scope of these lessons for those who have time for 
special investigation of the subjects presented. The references will indi- 
cate sources of information on the topics specified and will assist in the 
preparation of papers upon them. 

On disputed questions, Library Extracts or References are often given 
on both sides of the matter at issue. 

The favor with which the Manual has been received during the past 
two years has been very gratifying. A leading pastor using it has declared 
that it is " indispensable " for teachers. It is almost equally valuable to 
the older pupils. It includes the cream of many of the best books on the 
subjects presented. It is in fact a considerable library in itself, and at a 
cost so slight as to be within the reach of all. It aims to afford all needed 
external help in picturing vividly the historic background of the lessons, 
and in making the facts of the Bible seem real ; but to do this in such a 
way that the study of the Manual can by no possibility take the place of 
the study of the lesson in the Bible itself. 

iii 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGES 

Preface iii 

Outlook. 

Studying and Teaching Hints v-viii 

Translations into Foreign Languages viii-xii 

Notes and Library Extracts on the Lessons 1-268 

Maps. 

Palestine in the Time of Christ 50 

St. Paul's Second Missionary Journey 117 

To Illustrate the Travels of St. Paul 175 

The Voyage of St. Paul ....... 201 

To Illustrate the Shipwreck of St. Paul 204 

Full Titles of Books Referred to 269-271 

Index 272-274 



W 



THE BIBLE STUDY MANUAL. 



THK OUTLOOK. 



STUDYING AND TEACHING HINTS. 
I. FOR THE MAIN BODY OF THE SCHOOL. 

Approaching the Lesson. Always begin the study of the lesson by a 
general survey of its contents. Read the Title and the Introductory Note. 
Look over the titles of the Daily Readings with the Summaries of chap- 
ters omitted, if there are any. Examine the Sub-topics and Notes in the 
Lesson Outline and, in the Progressive grade, the Explanatory Notes in 
the Appendix, and whatever else may help to give a general idea of the 
lesson as a whole. 

Preliminary Work. Begin with the Review and Preliminary Questions, 
and fix in mind the connection of the lesson with those which have pre- 
ceded it. Always keep before you the relation of each lesson to the whole 
course of lessons to which it belongs. 

Writte7i-answers. Then work out the Lesson Outline, question by 
question, Bible and pencil in hand, according to the Directions for Study 
in the Quarterly. You will find that the more carefully this is done the 
better will be the results. Always write all the answers. This will 
familiarize you with the subjects referred to, and will also encourage your 
scholars to write out their answers. Do this yoiirself, expect them to do 
it, make much of it when do7ie, and they ivill do it as a 7>iatter of course. 
While doing this, jot down in connection with the answers, or on the 
margin of the Quarterly, the points on which you wish to ask additional 
questions in class. 

Getting a Comprehensive Outline View of the Lesson. As you study 
each Sub-topic in the Lesson Outline try to get a comprehensive view of it 
and of its relation to the lesson as a whole. Unite these several views 
into one general view of the entire lesson, of which these Sub-topics shall 
be subordinate parts, each in its own proper place Get, if possible, a 
clearly defined mental picture of the lesson as a whole, including the 

v 



vi The Outlook. 

facts presented, their relation to one another and to the lesson, and the 
relation of the lesson to the general course of which it forms a part. 
Keep always in mind that what we seek in these lessons is the framework 
of the Biblical narrative, and not its details, — its pri?icipal facts and 
their connections, and not particulars, — except in so far as particulars 
may be necessary to a good understanding of the general outline. 

Preparing for the Practical Application of the Lesson. Having finished 
the Lesson Outline, select from the Lesson Teachings such as you think 
most suitable for your class. In many cases you will find that your own 
practical questions, or those which are raised by different members of the 
class, are much better for your use than any suggested in the Quarterly. 
It is not possible for the teacher to make use of all the truths that may be 
suggested by any one of the lessons. As you study jot down those which 
occur to you, and afterwards select and arrange the more important. It is 
in this work preeminently that the individuality and power of the teacher 
appear. Let the teacher make the most of his opportunity. Knowing 
the circumstances and characteristics of each member of his class he 
should, as far as possible, provide something for each of them. The 
historical study in the Lesson Outline gives teacher and scholar a common 
basis of facts on which to work. The practical use which is made of the 
material thus gathered will depend on the teacher. 

The Use of the Manual. Having finished your independent study of 
the lesson, read what is said about it in the Manual, noting in connec- 
tion with the several points raised such thoughts from the Manual as 
you may wish to use in the class. In the personal study of the Bible 
necessary to answer the written-answer questions and to get a good grasp 
on the contents of the lesson as a whole, together with the subsidiary 
information obtained in the Manual, you will go into the class abundantly 
prepared to teach the lesson with pleasure and profit. 

Before the class. Begin by such review questions as may be necessary 
to establish the connection between this lesson and those preceding it. 
Then introduce the lesson before you by some general questions such as 
its subject, the contents of its Introductory Note, its sub-topics in the 
Lesson Outline, and whatever else may be necessary to give the class a 
clear idea of the character and purpose of the lesson as a whole. It may 
sometimes be best for the teacher to state these things to the class, or to 
have it done by some member of the class appointed the week beforehand 
for that purpose. The important thing is to present this general view of 
the lesson before taki?ig it up in detail. When this is well done the value 
and relative importance of the details will become apparent, and the 



Studying and Teaching Hints. vii 

temptation to waste time on comparatively unimportant matters will be 
largely overcome. 

Teaching the Lesson Proper. Having finished this preliminary work 
take up each topic in the Lesson Outline, going over it rapidly by aid of 
the written-answer questions. If members of the class disagree in their 
written-answers, always refer them to the Bible for the facts. If necessary 
to correct the answers of any, do it by asking some other question, or in 
some such way as not to mortify or discourage the scholar. Commend 
whatever is good in the answers ; encourage scholars that are backward. 
If the main purpose of the lesson has been clearly set before the class as 
above suggested, this written-answer work need not consume much time ; 
but it ought never to be omitted, because it is essential to the historical 
outline, and because it is the means through which teacher and class come 
to a common understanding of the facts on which to base the practical 
applications of the lesson. 

The Practical Application. If the suggestions above made have been 
carried out, there will be ample time left for this most important part of 
the teacher's work. Be guided in it by your knowledge of the class. It 
will often be best to follow their leadings, and use such questions as they 
may suggest. Otherwise select from the material already prepared by 
yourself, or from the Quarterly, such points as you think most useful, and 
press them upon the heart and conscience. 

The Teachers Work. The teacher's work is one of the highest impor- 
tance. The instruction of children and youth in the things of God has 
not been given to angels but to men. Prepare for your work carefully ; 
do it conscientiously ; trust the truth ; pray for God's blessing on it ; and 
he will give you success. 

2. FOR SPECIAL BIBLE CLASSES. 

General Principles. The general principle on which these lessons 
should be used is the same for Bible classes as already stated for others, 
that is, a comprehensive view of the whole lesson should precede any dis- 
cussion of its practical teachings. In the younger classes the object of 
the written-answer questions is two-fold : First, to aid in securing a good 
outline knowledge of the Scripture statements contained in the lesson; 
and secondly, to bring these statements clearly before the mind as a 
common basis of information on which teacher and scholars may join in 
a discussion of the practical truths which they suggest. It is evident that 
until this common basis of knowledge is secured any discussion of prin- 
ciples based on it will be very unsatisfactory. 



viii The Outlook. 

General Statements vs. Written- answers. In Bible classes whose fire- 
viotis studies have made the7?i thoroughly familiar with the contents of the 
Bible, the special ends sought by Written-answer questions in the younger 
classes may be obtained in another way. It is this. The Sub-topics may 
be assigned to different persons to be examined carefully at home, and 
stated briefly in class. In this connection the teacher, or some one 
appointed for that purpose, should also make a general statement of the 
design and contents of the whole lesson. By this mea?is, instead of by 
asking the Written-answer questions, the principal facts of the lesson will 
be recalled to mind very quickly, and the class then can proceed at once to 
a discussion of the Lesson Teachings. Bible classes that enter heartily into 
this method of work find it exceedingly interesting and helpful. But to 
get the full benefit of even this method of study it is extremely desirable 
that classes using it should carefully study the lesson and write out the 
answers at home. They will thus get a better grasp on the contents of 
the lesson than is otherwise possible, and be correspondingly better pre- 
pared to enter profitably into the discussion of the lesson teachings. 

TRANSLATIONS INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES. 

In beginning another volume of The Bible Study Manual, it gives 
us much pleasure to afford our readers visible proof of the progress of the 
lesson system to which the Manual belongs. To those who appreciate 
the difference between the method of study embodied in The Bible Study 
Union Lessons and those in common use, it will not seem surprising that 
our foreign missionaries, who are quick to see the value of anything that 
can aid them in instructing the heathen concerning the fundamental truths 
of Christianity, should seize the opportunity given them in these lessons 
and make use of it in the great work in which they are engaged. 

And yet it seems almost incredible that a method of Bible study, which 
had its birth in the work of a pastor for his young people in a country 
parish among the hills of Worcester County, in Massachusetts, should 
within four or five years find its way into all quarters of the globe ; and 
that the lessons prepared in accordance with that method should, in that 
short space of time, be translated into several missionary languages. 
This would not have been possible unless the lessons met a real need. 

When we consider how straitened for funds our foreign missions of all 
denominations have been during the past three or four years, and how 
overburdened with labor the missionaries are, it very greatly emphasizes 
the value which they put upon this work, that out of their scanty appro- 
priations they should be willing to use a portion for printing these lessons, 



Studying and Teaching Hints. ix 

and that in their great pressure of labor they should be willing to take the 
necessary time to prepare them for the press. Letters from missionaries 
of various denominations lead us to believe that these lessons are, or soon 
will e, translated into eight or ten foreign languages. We have received 
specimen copies of the lessons in five different languages, and a mimeo- 
graph copy of them in a sixth, facsimiles of a portion from each of 
which are given below. 

In the midst of the very great burden of care and responsibility which 
has fallen upon the editors of these lessons, and the many difficulties 
which have been encountered in preparing and publishing them, it gives 
us profound gratitude to feel that our work is appreciated, not only by 
such a large number of churches and Sunday-schools in this country, but 
that it is also proving helpful to our foreign missionaries in their noble 
work. 

One might naturally suppose that the greater need of study which is 
essential to these lessons would prevent their use in heathen lands ; but 
the publication of these editions proves conclusively that such is not the 
case, and that wherever there is a real determination to know the contents 
of the Bible, the additional labor involved in the use of these lessons is 
most gladly given. 

It seems especially appropriate to speak of this subject at the beginning 
of this course of lessons on The History of the Apostolic Church because 
we here consider the gift of tongues in the early church, which symbolized 
the universality of the gospel and its triumph over all barriers of language 
and nationality. 

SPECIMENS OF FOREIGN TRANSLATIONS OF 
THE BIBLE STUDY UNION LESSONS. 



No. 1. TELUGU. 

The Child's Quarterly, A Year with Jesus, 5 1 pages. We have also in the same 
language a copy of The Life of Christ, Progressive grade, with spaces left for 
written-answers, 107 pages. Both of these are published in Madras, India. 

Z307r>tf^) 25-15^5500^ s'cfdSoo^. 

«' tf^STVk a?5^^5 "3oSW^c55!»£o 7r«Qc«bs5>5 » s£jjTou 12: 12. 



The Outlook. 

No. 2. TURKISH LANGUAGE, in GREEK CHARACTERS. 

The Life of Christ, Progressive Grade, 207 pages. 

'Ayikt xepijjtl. 
Tip.lv Teyl>., qcvt&xx, rcevl Ipaock eievtv Tip* y Eyep 

7ttp Xl|A<J£ aVYJV tp<XT£Tlvl IT^pOC £Tp.£X, l<JT£p<T£, ftOU 

TaVip. 'AT^a^rav p.10 6>/hr)yY)VY), (3e ytsfyoT 7T£v juv- 
TiXiyip.t£v p.t aoi'T^tiytpu tt^t^e'k Tip; 'Jcoxv* C'. 
46, 47. 

No. 3. ARMENIAN. 

The Life of Christ, Progressive Grade, 196 pages and large colored map. 

^pnuinnun uunnulrniuni-^pijbpi 

Ml. t/trpiUijLtijpAit h \\UMipmnJjujjnL.iPx 

IT mm. <*£., J-Q., Wasp. fi*. 4-49, t«^. P* 28-50» 



No. 4. TURKISH LANGUAGE, in ARMENIAN CHARACTERS. 

The Life of Christ, Progressive Grade, 206 pages. 

isnup W£i£l ^pf IT/f^tutn^jh 30^^ u£%£ujih[jh U,u[~ 

%ftLZi£ njumtup l^jtut^p x 

Remark. — Nos. 2, 3, and 4, above, are published by the missionaries of the 
American Board in Constantinople, Turkey. Mr. W. W. Peet, Treasurer, writes 
that they are now preparing the lessons on The Apostolic Church for use in 
1895, c °pi es °f which he will send in due time. 



Translations into Foreign Languages. 



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NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE HISTORICAL COURSE: 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 1. — INTEODUOTOKY. The Disciples Tarrying in Jerusalem 
for the Promised Power of the Holy Spirit. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ i. The Importance of this Course of Study, (i) Notice at the outset, 
and impress on your class, the importance of the course of study beginning with 
this lesson. Remember that it continues the history of the work begun by our 
Lord and by him committed to his church; that it covers the record of the work 
of the church during the first Christian century; and that it covers the last 
inspired record of God's dealings with men. This portion of Scripture contains, 
therefore, God's last words to us; and on our use of the revelation thus made com- 
plete depends our Christian life. 

(2) As contrasted with the course on the Gospel History, this course shows the 
results of our Lord's work on earth; as contrasted with the course on Old Testa- 
ment History, it shows the outcome of the long period of preparation by which 
the world was made ready for its King and Saviour. Furthermore, in its presen- 
tation of the life and teachings of the apostles, this history brings before us not 
only the brightest examples of self-sacrificing service for Christ, but also all the 
great truths which lie at the basis of Christianity. And in example and truth are 
found the most powerful influences over life. The faithful study of this portion 
of Scripture, therefore, cannot fail to be exceedingly helpful as well as profoundly 
interesting. Indeed, aside from the study of the life and words of our Lord him- 
self, there is no other subject more worthy of our attention. 

§ 2. Preliminary. Before beginning the study of the lesson, examine the 
Quarterly with the class and acquaint them with its contents and arrangement, so 
that they can use it to the best advantage. (1) Call attention to the Introduc- 
tion, especially to the Abstract of Lessons in the Course and to the Directions for 
Study, and emphasize the importance of carefully examining both of these, in order 
to understand the purpose and method of the lessons. 

(2) In examining the lessons proper, notice the different parts into which each 
lesson is divided, whether in the Junior, Intermediate or Progressive grades, together 
with the purpose of each part and the best way to study and teach it, as stated 
either in the lessons themselves, or in the Directions for Study in the Introduction. 

I 



2 The Bible Study Manual. 

Notice also that the written-answer method is followed in connection with the main 
part of the lesson only, the reason for this being that the principal object of this 
part of the lesson is to get a clear and accurate knowledge of the Scripture facts, 
and ordinarily this end can be secured by the written-answer method better than 
in any other way. 

(3) In turning to the Appendix, call attention to the Abbreviations used, the 
Books Recommended, the Explanatory Remarks and Notes, and the Bible Dic- 
tionary, so far as these appear in the grade that you use, making such. explanation 
as may be necessary regarding each. This general survey of the Quarterlies should 
be made, if possible, when the Quarterlies are given out, on the Sunday before they 
are used in class. 

§ 3. Design of the Lesson. (1) To introduce the study of the course by a 
brief notice of the authorship, object, and contents of the book of the Acts which 
is the main source for the history of the apostolic age; (2) to notice more fully 
the circumstances of the ascension of our Lord, which event was the connecting 
link between this history and the gospel history of his life; (3) to observe the 
occurrences of the ten days that immediately followed the ascension ; and (4) to 
make practical application of some of the great truths contained in this portion 
of Scripture. 

§ 4. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) See The Outlook in this 
number of the Manual for some general suggestions on this subject. Apply the 
directions there given to this lesson, and notice the result. 

(2) Examine carefully the Introduction to the Quarterly, which will give you 
much information regarding the principles underlying this general system of les- 
sons, and also regarding the purpose and scope of this particular course. A 
thoughtful reading of the Abstract of Lessons in the Course will give a grasp on 
the nature and relations of the subjects treated in it, which can be obtained in no 
other way. 

(3) Divide the time occupied by the lesson in class into four parts; one for 
the general preliminary survey of the lesson, one for the Preliminary Questions in 
the Quarterly, one for the Lesson Outline, and one for the Lesson Teachings, 
or in the Junior grade, for the Bible Practice Questions, giving to each part such 
a proportion of the time as its relative importance demands. Do this, not in order 
to make an iron-clad rule which must be followed at all hazards, but as a guide in 
your work; so that you may not spend so much time on some parts of the 
lesson as to be unable to teach the other parts. 

(4) Note down any practical questions that the class may suggest while going 
over the Lesson Outline, and bring them up in connection with the Lesson 
Teachings. 

(5) In conclusion, keep in mind what is said in § I, above, regarding the impor- 
tance of this course of lessons, and try to use the lesson in such a way as to make 
it a fit introduction to so great a subject. 



Library Extracts on Lesson I. 3 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

§ 5. The Author of the Book of the Acts. That the author of the Book 
of Acts is the same as that of the third Gospel is evident from several considera- 
tions : from the address to Tbeophilus, and the reference to a previous treatise 
similarly addressed . . . ; from the strong resemblance in the style of the two 
books; from parallelisms particularly noticeable in the description of the ship- 
wreck in Acts and the storm on the Sea of Galilee in the Gospel; from intima- 
tions, slight, and yet noticeable, of the author's knowledge of disease and his use 
of medical terms . . . ; and from the fact that Luke, who describes himself as 
the traveling companion of Paul even to Rome itself, is several times referred to 
by Paul as being with him in Rome. . . . That the author of both is Luke is the 
universal testimony of antiquity. . . . 

There is abundant reason in the structure of the book itself for rejecting the 
notion that it is the work of more than one author. Its style is the same through- 
out, except where it professes to report the speeches or writings of others; its 
narrative is continuous and harmonious; it gives no hint of incorporating foreign 
material; it fulfills ... a definite literary and religious design; in brief, it has 
all the marks of careful and individual authorship, none of a careless compila- 
tion. — Abbott: Commentary, Acts, p. 13^. 

§6. Date of the Book. (1) Indications of an Early Date. — [The date 
cannot be fixed with certainty.] The key to its date ... is most likely to be 
found in its abrupt ending. Great difficulty has been experienced in accounting 
for this ending; and although the writer may have felt that having brought his 
story down to the arrival of Paul in Rome his task was accomplished, it must be 
admitted that if the book did not leave its author's hands till after the death of 
Paul, it is unaccountable that he makes no mention of that event. And certainly 
the simplest reason that we can give for his stopping where he does is that he 
wrote the book in Rome at the close of Paul's two years' residence [i. e., about 
A.D. 63 or 64], and that he tells no more because as yet there was no more to 
tell. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., p. 72. 

(2) Indications of a Later Date. — As the Gospel of Luke already presupposes 
the destruction of Jerusalem (21 : 20-25), the Acts of the Apostles must have 
been written after that event. ... A more definite approximation is not possible. 
As, however, the Gospel of John must be considered as the latest of the four, but 
still belongs to the first century, perhaps to the second last decade of that century 
. . . , there is sufficient reason to place the third Gospel within the seventh decade, 
and the time of the composition of the Acts cannot be more definitely ascertained. 
Yet, as there must have been a suitable interval between it and the Gospel . . . , it 
may have reached perhaps the close of the seventh decade, or about the year 80. 
— Meyer : Commentary, Acts, p. 11. 

§ 7. Purpose of the Book. A survey of the contents of the book shows 
that it does not profess to be a history of the Apostles, as the old title of the 
book . . . would lead us to expect, or of the Church in a comprehensive sense; 
but that the material taken from this history is here selected and set forth from a 
definite point of view. . . . [Its purpose is] to set forth the development of the 
Church from Jerusalem to Rome, from the metropolis of Judaism to the capital 
of the world, and therewith the transition of the gospel from the Jews to the 
Gentiles, carried out under Divine guidance through the guilt of the former. — 
Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 320, 322. 



4 The Bible Study Manual. 

THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 

§ 8. The Acts a Continuation of the Third Gospel. The links of Scrip- 
ture . . . uniting one part to another, and assisting our sense of the continuity of 
the whole, are worthy of especial notice. . . . [Thus] does the Book of Acts at 
its opening attach itself to the preceding record; throwing back our thoughts on 
'the former treatise of all that Jesus began to do and teach,' and then passing 
rapidly in review the last circumstances which connect the Apostles with their 
Lord, as the instruments which he had chosen and prepared for the work which 
he had yet to do. Thus the history which follows is linked to, or . . . welded 
with, the past; and the founding of the Church in the earth is presented as one 
continuous work, begun by the Lord in person, and perfected by the same Lord 
through the ministry of men. . . . ' The former treatise ' delivered to us, not all 
that Jesus did and taught, but * all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day 
when he was taken up.' The following writings appear intended to give us, and 
do in fact profess to give us, that which Jesus continued 'to do and teach after the 
day in which he was taken up. — Bernard : Progress of Doctrine, pp. 80, 81. 

§ 9. The Forty Days. We are at once presented with the fact that our Lord 
"shewed Himself alive after His passion" to the apostles, "being seen of them 
forty days." Not that He was with them continually, or continuously, during that 
period; but that from time to time He appeared to them. "As He was forty 
days after His birth before He was presented in the temple in the earthly Jerusa- 
lem, and, again, forty days after His baptism before He entered on His ministry,- 
so now He waits forty days after His birth from the grave before He presents 
Himself in the temple of the heavenly Jerusalem, and enters on His priestly 
ministry in the true Holy of Holies, where He ever liveth to make intercession 
for us." 

Two purposes of these appearances are very distinctly indicated, and we need 
not seek for others : first, that by many proofs He might convince the apostles of 
the verity of His resurrection; and secondly, that He might speak to them of the 
kingdom of God, and the things pertaining to it, and give them His command- 
ments. — Williams : Studies in the Acts, pp. 3, 4. 

THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 

§ 10. The Leading Expectation in the Minds of the Disciples. Let 

us here notice the naturalness of this query. . . . The Apostles evidently shared 
the national aspirations of the Jews at that time. . . . The pious unsophisticated 
people of Galilee were daily expecting the establishment of the Messianic king- 
dom; but the kingdom they expected was no spiritual institution, it was simply 
an earthly scene of material glory, where the Jews would once again be exalted 
above all surrounding nations, and the hated invader expelled from the fair plains 
of Israel. . . . This eager expectation dominated every other feeling in the Jewish 
mind of that period, and was burned into the very secrets of their existence by 
the tyranny of Roman rule. — Stokes : Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 25, 26. 

§ 11. "It Is Not for You to Know." Observe that it [Christ's answer] 
is fatal to all attempts to foretell the time of Christ's second coming, or even the 
definite signs of that second coming. . . . [This verse] declares not merely the 
temporary veiling of information from the eyes of the apostles, but the limit put 
by the Providence of God on human knowledge. But Christ does not merely 
declare their ignorance of the time of his own second coming. The times are the 
succession of ages, greater or less in length, over which the history of the church 
should extend, before the end comes; the seasons are the successive phases of 



Library Extracts on Lesson I. 5 

development, through and by means of which it would grow to its development. 
It is not in man either to know the length of time, or to understand beforehand 
the necessary processes of growth ; it is his simply to perform the duty allotted to 
him, leaving \hz great movement of which he is a part, and to which he contrib- 
utes, to be unfolded by God. He cannot read the book till God has unrolled it. 
Observe, too, the march of events, though above human control, is not above 
all control. The Father hath it in his own power. — Abbott: Commentary, 
Acts, p. 30. 

§ 12. The Naturalness and Necessity of the Ascension. We have the 
bare literal statement of the fact of Christ's ascension. Let us now consider this 
supernatural fact, the Ascension, and meditate upon its necessity, and even 
naturalness, when taken in connection with the whole earthly existence of Incar- 
nate God. ... In apostolic teaching . . . the ascension is . . . referred to, 
hinted at, taken as granted, presupposed, but it is not obtruded nor dwelt upon 
overmuch. The resurrection of Christ was the great central point of the apos- 
tolic testimony; the ascension of Christ was simply a portion of that fundamental 
doctrine, and a natural deduction from it. If Christ had been raised from the 
dead and had thus become the hrstfruits of the grave, it required but little addi- 
tional exercise of faith to believe that He had passed into that unseen and imme- 
diate presence of Deity where the perfected soul finds its complete satisfaction. 
In fact, the doctrine of the resurrection apart from the doctrine of the ascension 
would have been a mutilated fragment, for the natural question would arise, not 
for one age but for every age, If Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead, 
where is He? Produce your risen Master, and we will believe in Him, would be 
the triumphant taunt to which Christians would ever be exposed. . . . The whole 
Christian idea as conceived by them [the apostles] just as necessarily involved 
the doctrine of the ascension as it did that of the resurrection. — Stokes : Acts of 
the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 43, 44. 

§ 13. The Nearness of the Spiritual World. Whither, ... it may be 
asked, did our Lord depart when He left this earthly scene? . . . The Book of 
the Acts of the Apostles . . . simply describes Him as removed from off this 
earthly ball, and then, a cloud shutlirig Him out from view, Christ passed into the 
inner and unseen universe wherein He now dwells. The existence of that inner 
and unseen universe, asserted clearly enough in Scripture, has of late years been 
curiously confirmed by scientific speculation. Scripture asserts the existence of 
an unseen universe, and the ascension implies it. The second coming of our 
Saviour is never described as a descent from some far-off region. No, it is always 
spoken of as an Apocalypse, — a drawing back, that is, of a veil which hides an 
unseen chamber. . . . The unseen world is not at some vast distance, but, as the 
ascension would seem to imply, close at hand, shut out from us by that thin veil 
of matter which angelic hands will one day rend for ever. — Stokes : Acts of the 
Apostles, vol. i, pp. 46, 47. 

THE DISCIPLES WAITING TOR THE PROMISED POWER. 

§ 14. The Upper Chamber. The room may have been the same as that in 
which the Paschal Supper had been eaten (Mk. 14: 15). ... So far as we are 
able to distinguish between the two words, the room of the Paschal Supper was 
on the first floor, the guest-chamber, used for meals; that in which the disciples 
now met, on the second floor, or loft, which was used for retirement and prayer. 
It would seem from Luke 24 : 53, that they spent the greater part of each day in 
the Temple, and met together in the evening. . , . The prayer . . , offered may 



6 The Bible Study Manual. 

be thought of as specially directed to the " promise of the Father.'' — Plumptre : 
In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 29^. 

§ 15. The Ten Days of Prayer. For ten days this first assembly of the 
Christian Church remained in almost continuous prayer, and in perfect unison of 
feeling, calmly expecting the fulfillment of the Lord's many promises respecting 
the Holy Ghost. Luke's Gospel tells us that " they went to the Temple daily," at 
the usual hour of prayer. . . . With singleness of expectation and absolute assur- 
ance of faith, every heart in perfect oneness with every other, asking, as He had 
bidden, in his name, they quietly awaited the time appointed for the advent of the 
Comforter. — Butler ; Bible-Work, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 13, 14. 

THE CHOICE OF A NEW APOSTLE. 

§ 16. The Death of Judas. Matthew does not say that Judas, having hanged 
himself, did not fall to the ground and burst asunder; nor on the contrary, does 
Luke say that Judas did not hang himself before he fell to the ground; and it is 
obvious that the matter should have been so stated, in order to warrant the charge 
of inconsistency. We have no certain knowledge as to the mode in which we 
are to combine the two accounts, so as to connect the act of suicide with what 
happened to the body. It has been thought not improbable that Judas may have 
hung himself from the limb of a tree, on the edge of a precipice near the valley 
of Hinnom, and that, the rope breaking by which he was suspended, he fell to 
the earth and was dashed to pieces. — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 36. 

§ 17. The Use of the Lot. The resort to the lot for the purpose of reaching 
a decision, was m conformity to the usage prevailing under the old covenant. . . . 
But the apostles and the assembly of believers did not proceed to cast lots until 
they had themselves decided conscientiously in accordance with their personal 
knowledge, as far as any human decision could avail. It was only the final word 
— that word which required a previous glance into the heart — which they 
besought the Lord to pronounce through the lot. They were the more easily 
disposed to adopt this course, as the Spirit had not yet been poured out upon 
them; but after that event, the lot was never again employed. When all these 
circumstances are considered, no abuse of the lot can be justified or even be 
extenuated by an appeal to the present case. — Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, 
Acts, pp. 2\b, 22a. 

§ 18. The Choice of Matthias. It has been asserted by some writers that 
this whole procedure — the substitution of Matthias as an apostle in place of 
Judas — was premature and in opposition to the will of God, since Paul had been 
appointed to take the place of Judas as an apostle, although the call was actually 
given to him only at a later period. . . . But no valid arguments whatever can be 
adduced in favor of it [this view]. Not the least indication is given at any time 
that God had signified his disapprobation of this election; for the circumstance 
that the labors of Matthias are not afterwards mentioned, as little proves that he 
was not a genuine and true apostle after the heart of God, as the silence observed 
with respect to the labors of several of the Twelve would prove that they, too, did 
not possess the true apostolical character. . . . Paul himself never claimed, on 
any occasion, that he was one of the Twelve, while, on the contrary, he makes a 
plain distinction between them and himself in I Cor. 15:5. He cannot, indeed, 
be enumerated among them, since his call constituted him the Apostle of the 
Gentiles; he is thus obviously contradistinguished from the Apostles of the Jews 
{comp. Gal. 22: 9). — Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, Acts, p. 22a. 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson I. 7 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 19. The Necessity of the Ascension. Christ's return to the bosom of the 
Father was necessary in order that he might thence send the Holy Spirit to con- 
tinue his own work, which was no longer to be restricted to a limited territory and 
one people, but extended to all places, all times, and all nations (cf. Acts 2: 33; 
Jo. 15:26, 27; 16:7,13,14; Mt. 28:20). 

§ 20. The Attractive Power of the Ascended Christ. Our Lord's declara- 
tion, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself" 
(Jo. 12: 32), referred primarily to his uplifting on the cross; but having been 
lifted there by wicked men, he was lifted thence by the Father Almighty to his 
right hand, that, as the ascended and everliving Christ, he might draw men unto 
himself in glory. 

§21. The Nearness of the Spiritual World. "A cloud received him"; 
only a thin cloud, a mist that obscures the vision, not adamantine walls and 
impregnable doors. Only a "veil" (Heb. 6: 19), the thinnest of all fabrics, 
stirred by a zephyr or torn by a rude grasp, hangs between us and the exceeding 
glory. The unseen spiritual universe is everywhere about us. 

§ 22. The Discipline of Waiting. As the Israelites waited for Moses in the 
mount, so the disciples waited for this new law written " not in tables of stone, 
but in tables that are hearts of flesh " (2 Cor. 3: t>; J er - 3 1 : 33^- I" the one case 
the waiting was marred by impatience, in the other it was safeguarded by prayer; 
in the former case it issued in gross apostasy, in the latter case in a marvelous 
increase of spiritual life and power. 

§ 23. The Decision of Perplexing Questions. Look at them in all lights, 
exercise the judgment God has given, and then prayerfully submit the whole mat- 
ter to his providential guidance. If things do not turn out as we expect, we can 
at least comfort ourselves with the assurance that our prayer has been answered 
according to what God perceived to be our real needs, rather than according to 
our fancied wants. 



ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

i. The Authorship of the Book of Acts: Bleek, Introduction, New Test., 
vol. i, pp. 368-370; Hackett, Commentary, Acts, Int., §1; Alford, Greek Test., Acts, 
Prolegomena. § 1; Dods, Introduction, New Test , pp. 63, 64; Smith's Diet. Bib., New 
Ed., Art., " Acts of the Apostles." 2. The Sources of the Acts : U eiss, Introduc- 
tion, New Test., vol. ii, p. 323 ff. ; Bleek, Introduction, New Test., vol. i, pp. 355-364; 
Alford, Greek Test., Acts, Prolegomena, §2, Dods, Introduction, New Test., pp. 64-67; 
Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Ait., "Acts of the Apostles." 3. PURPOSE OF THE Acts: 
Weiss, Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, p. 320 ff ; Bleek, Introduction, New Test., vol. i, 
pp. 349-354; Dods, Introduction, New Test., pp. 67-72. 4. HISTORICAL CHARACTER 
OF the Acts: Bleek, Introduction, New Test., vol. i, 370-376; Hackett, Commentary, 
Acts, Int., $3; Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "Acts of the Apostles." 5. ACCURACY 
OF THE Writer: Dods, Introduction, New Test., pp. 73-75. 6. CHRONOLOGY OF 
THE ACTS: Hackett, Commentary, Acts, Int., §$6,7; Alford, Greek Test., Acts, Pro- 
legomena, §6; Smith's Diet. Bib', New Ed., Art., "Acts of the Apostles." 7. The 
\sion of Christ and its Lessons: Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, ch. 3. 
8. The Election of a New Apostle: Abbott, Commentary, Acts, pp. 35, 36; Stokes, 
Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, ch. 4. 



The Bible Study Manual. 

Lesson 2. -THE OUTPOUKING- OP THE HOLT SPIRIT. The 
Power from on High Keceived, and Multitudes Converted. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 24. Design of the Lesson. To show how Christ's promise of power from 
on high was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in the descent of the Holy Spirit, 
in the miraculous gifts that accompanied it, and in the conversion of the three 
thousand. 

§ 25. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Follow the methods sug- 
gested in The Outlook and in § 4, Lesson 1, in this number of the Manual. 

(2) Picture first of all the external features of the scene : the hush of intense 
expectation in the disciples, like the silence and tension before a gathering storm; 
the sudden sound from heaven as of a hurricane filling the house; the fire from 
heaven like flames falling upon each of them. 

(3) Note, however, that this heavenly flame came not to destroy, but to impart 
a spiritual life fuller, richer, and stronger than humanity had yet experienced. In 
the disciples it wrought at once not only a quickening of all their natural powers, 
but added new and miraculous powers. 

(4) Along with these miraculous endowments came a scarcely less miraculous 
illumination in respect to truths that before had been only dimly and fragmentarily 
apprehended, but which all at once stood revealed in their divine significance and 
unity. 

(5) Note how this was evidenced in Peter's address delivered on the spur of 
the moment. In it the relation of the events just witnessed to ancient prophecy, 
the mission of Jesus as the Messiah, his resurrection and exaltation at the right 
hand of God, his connection with the marvelous events then transpiring, the 
danger of the Jews from the impending Messianic judgment, and the possibility 
of salvation only through repentance and obedience are announced with a con- 
fidence and power not born of mere human reasoning. 

(6) Note, furthermore, that while the descent of the Holy Spirit was accom- 
panied by the bestowment of miraculous gifts that were in their nature temporary, 
the crowning evidence of his presence was manifested in the power that morally 
transformed multitudes of those who heard the gospel, and in the sense of love 
and brotherhood immediately shown in those who believed; these manifestations 
have remained the permanent ideals of church progress and of church life in 
every subsequent age. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

§26. The "Outpouring" of the Spirit. As rain rejuvenates the natural 
world, so the Spirit of God works within man a new life which renders him happy, 
and which shows itself without as a power over the world, The pouring out of 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2. g 

this Spirit indicates a gift in a fulness and strength which has hitherto not been 
experienced. Before there were individuals in Israel, especially the prophets, who 
stood with God through His Spirit in near confidential relations; but this spiritual 
life in God becomes the future possession of all, without distinction of sex and 
age, even of those who do not belong to the people of Israel by birth, but as 
servants through incorporation. — Delitzsch : Messianic Prophecies, p. 121. 

§ 27. The Feast of Pentecost. Fifty days . . . after the Feast of the Pass- 
over the Feast of Pentecost was kept. During these 50 days the harvest of corn 
was being gathered in. It is called . . . "the feast of harvst, ihe firstfruits of 
thy labors," and . . . "the feast of weeks." The feast laste 4 a single day, which 
was a day of holv Convocation . . . ; and the characteristic rite was the new 
meal offering, viz. two loaves of leavened bread made of fine flour of new wheat. 
Special animal sacrifices were also made . . . and freewill offerings. . . . We 
have no record of the celebration of this feast in the Old Testament. — Watson : 
In Cambridge Companion, p. i6o<z. 

§ 28. The Day of the Week on which Pentecost Fell. The question on 
what day of the week this Pentecost fell must of course be determined by the 
mode in which the doubt is solved regarding the day on which the Last Supper 
was eaten. If it was the legal paschal supper, on the 14th of Nisan, and the 
Sabbath during which our Lord lay in the grave was the day of the omer, Pente- 
cost must have followed on the Sabbath. But if the Supper was eaten on the 
13th, and He was crucified on the 14th, the Sunday of the Resurrection must 
have been the day of the omer, and Pentecost must have occurred on the first 
day of the week. — Clark : In Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., " Pentecost," p. 2433^. 

§ 29. The Birthday of the Church. The fact that the day of Pentecost is 
the birthday of the Church, has always been recognized. The latter was founded 
by or through the work of Jesus Christ, as a Prophet, High Priest, and King, 
through the calling and installation of the Apostles, and the gathering together of 
larger numbers of disciples, and through the institution of the Lord's Supper and 
Holy Baptism. But after the Head of the Church was enthroned invisibly in 
heaven, and before the Pentecostal festival arrived, the Church of Jesus resembled 
the human body, after God had formed it of the dust of the ground, and before 
the spirit which was from God, was breathed into it; it was only after that influ- 
ence reached man that he became a living soul. — Lechler : In Lange's Commen- 
tary, Acts, p. 53^. 

THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

§ 30. The Expectation of the Disciples. The words of Christ respecting 
the new revelation of God by him, . . . must have been vividly recalled to the 
minds of the disciples by the celebration of this feast [Pentecost], and, at the 
same time, their anxious longing must have been more strongly excited for that 
event, which, according to his promise, was to confirm and glorify the New Dis- 
pensation. As all who professed to be the Lord's disciples . . . were wont to 
meet daily for mutual edification, so on this solemn day they were assembled in a 
chamber, which, according to Oriental customs, was specially assigned to devo- 
tional exercises. It was the first stated hour of prayer, about nine in the morning, 
and, according to what we must suppose was then the tone of the disciples' feel- 
ings, we may presume that their prayers turned to the object which filled their 
souls; that, on the day when tiie Old Law had been promulgated with such glory, 
the New also might be glorified by the communication of the promised Spirit. 
And what their ardent desires and prayers sought for, what their Lord had promised, 
was granted. — Neander ; Planting and Training, pp. 8, 9. 



io The Bible Study Manual. 

§31. The Spirit's Presence Manifested. "There came from heaven a 
sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they 
were sitting." ... It was a supernatural moment. The powers of a new life, the 
forces of a new kingdom, were coming into operation," and, as the result, manifesta- 
tions that never since have been experienced found place among men. . . . [Pen- 
tecost was] the inauguration of the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah, the Lord 
and Ruler of the material universe; and therefore we ought to expect, or at least 
not to be surprised, that marvellous phenomena, signs and wonders even of a 
physical type, should accompany and celebrate the scene. The marvels of the 
story told in the first of Genesis find a parallel in the marvels told in the second 
of Acts. The one passage sets forth the foundation of the material universe, the 
other proclaims the nobler foundations of the spiritual universe. — Stokes : Acts 
of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 89, 90. 

§32. The Gift of Tongues. (1) Nature of the Miracle. — In the . . . 
description of the events of the day of Pentecost, the meaning which St. Luke 
intends to convey is very plain in every respect, except that we cannot with cer- 
tainty gather from it whether the disciples, as well as speaking new languages, 
also understood what they uttered. It would seem most reasonable to conclude 
that the Holy Spirit with the one power also bestowed the othe, and this may 
have been so in the case of the disciples at Pentecost, even though it was not so 
at other times and under other circumstances. — Lumby: In Cambridge Bible, 
Acts, p. 20. 

(2) Symbolism of the Miracle. — A miracle, too, in this form, may have had a 
symbolic import, which added to its significancy. It was necessary that even the 
apostles should be led to entertain more enlarged views respecting the compre- 
hensive design of the new dispensation. This sudden possession of an ability to 
proclaim the salvation of Christ to all nations (even if we allow that it was not 
permanent), was adapted to recall their minds powerfully to the last command of 
the Saviour, and to make them feel that it was their mission to publish his name 
to the ends of the earth. Such a mode of conveying instruction to them was not 
more indirect than that employed in the vision of Peter . . . , which was intended 
to teach the same truth. — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 42. 

THE ADDRESS OF PETER. 

§ 33. The First Gospel Sermon : Its Relation to the Old Testament. 

Peter's address is bold and aggressive, not defensive, but his boldness is tempered 
with the " meekness of wisdom." And alike in his courage, his gentleness, and 
his wisdom, we discern the clearest, surest proofs of the power of the Holy 
Ghost. . . . There is here no direct assault upon Judaism, no reference to its lapse 
from spiritual truth and life into the barrenness of superstitious form. On the 
contrary, the Jewish Scriptures furnish his starting-point, his constant resting- 
place and reference. There is a clear implication running through this sermon 
(and through all other discourses of the Acts) that the old dispensation was the 
foundation of the new, the Jewish of the Christian. . . . And now, under the 
express inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Peter traces (and after him Stephen and 
Paul) these events which had wrought their wonder to the previous prophecies, 
and then conclusively shows that Christ himself is the Messiah of these Scriptures. 
But in the midst and at the close of his reasoning he tells them, with perfect 
quietness and simplicity of utterance, that they have delivered up and crucified 
this Jesus. . . . While the predictions of judgment are general and spoken to the 
mass, the promise of salvation is individual and personal, and, like all the prom- 
ises of the Old Testament and New, it is without limitation or exception. — Butler: 
Bible- Work, New Test., vol. ii, pp, 20, 21. 



Library Extracts on Lesson _\ n 

§ 34. The Language of Prophecy, and its Significance. We can make 
no greater mistake than to interpret the imagery in the Bible . . . after the meth- 
ods of thought which prevail in our day. . . . The oriental mind, grasping . . . 
[the phenomena of nature] with a vivid imagination, wrought them into many 
forms of glowing imagery to denote whatever was grand or terrific. . . . Such 
were the sources of imagery which the Hebrew prophets had always been 
accustomed to employ in predicting the divine judgments upon cities and nations. 
Look at the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah, which is entitled " The burden of Baby- 
lon," and observe in what language the destruction of that city is described. . . . 
"The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the 
sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light 
to shine," . . . 

Still more striking is the announcement, in the thirty-fourth chapter, of the 
divine judgments upon the land of Idumea. " All the hosts of heaven shall be 
dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their host 
shall fall down. , . . For my sword shall be bathed in heaven; behold it shall 
come down upon Idumea." . . . See how Ezekiel — ch. 32 — threatens Pharaoh, 
king of Egypt, with an overthrow by Babylon. " And when I shall put thee 
out, I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun 
with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light. . . . The prophet Joel . . . 
employs similar language, which Peter on the day of pentecost quotes and ex- 
pressly declares has reference to the events then transpiring. ..." I will show 
wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great 
and terrible day of the Lord shall come." . . . What is it but the familiar language 
of prophecy telling us that like as Babylon and Egypt and Idumea, so Jerusalem 
and the Hebrew nation shall be overthrown? . . . What was all this but the 
phraseology customarily applied to classes of events which had many times before 
happened, and which were then about to be repeated. — Warren: The Parousia, 
pp. 91-97. 

§35. The Convicting and Converting Power of the Holy Spirit. 

[How] can we explain this fact, or how account for this conscience-stricken cry, 
" Men and brethren, what shall we do?" unless we assume, what the narrative of 
our text declares, that the Holy Ghost, in all His convincing and converting 
power, had been poured out from on high? 

And surely our own personal experience daily corroborates this view. There 
may be intellectual conviction and controversial triumph without any spiritual 
enthusiasm. Sermons may be clever, powerful, convincing, and yet, unless the 
Spirit's power be sought, ... no spiritual harvest can be expected. St. Peter's 
sermon, if viewed from a human standpoint, could no more have been expected 
to succeed than the Master's. The one element, however, which now entered 
into the combination, explains the difference. The Spirit was now given, and men 
therefore hearkened to the servant where they had turned a deaf ear to the 
Master. . . . 

Christianity is a Divine power, a power which must be sought in faith, in humil- 
iation, and 111 prayer; and till the Holy Ghost be duly honoured, and His presence 
be humbly sought, the finest system and the most elaborate organizations will be 
found devoid of any fruitful life and vigour. — Stokes : Acts of the Apostles, vol. 
i, pp. 130-132. 

THE CONVERSION OF THE THREE THOUSAND. 

§ 36. Result of the Firs.. Day's Preaching. At the feast of Pentecost, in 
consequence of the power from above imparted to the apostles and disciples, a 



12 The Bible Study Manual. 

very considerable accession was made to the formerly moderate band of believers 
in Jerusalem . . . ; about 3000 souls received the word and were joined 
to the Church by baptism. . . . We must not, however, at once credit the Church 
in Jerusalem with this increase. For among the listeners to the apostolic discourse 
there were Israelitish guests and proselytes from near and distant countries . . . , 
whence we may infer that of those newly converted many were not living in 
Jerusalem itself, but partly in Judsea and Galilee, partly in countries beyond Pales- 
tine, who therefore returned home after the feast days were ended. — Lechler : 
Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, p. 31. 

§ 37. The One Article of Faith. There was only one article of faith [in 
the early Church] which constituted the peculiar mark of the Christian profession, 
and from this point believers were led to a clearer and fuller knowledge of the 
whole contents of the Christian faith, by the continual enlightening of the Holy 
Spirit; that article was belief in Jesus as the Messiah. It naturally followed that 
they ascribed to him the whole idea of what the Messiah, according to a right 
understanding of the meaning and spirit of the Old Testament promises, was to 
be, — the Redeemer from sin, the Ruler of the kingdom of God, to whom their 
whole lives were to be devoted, and whose laws were to be followed in all things. 
. . . Whoever acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, received him, consequently, as 
the infallible, divine prophet, and implicitly submitted to his instructions as com- 
municated by his personal ministry, and afterwards by his inspired organs, the 
Apostles. Hence baptism at this period, in its peculiar Christian meaning, having 
reference to this one article of faith which constituted the essence of Christianity, 
was designated as baptism into Jesus, into the name of Jesus; it was the holy rite 
which sealed the connexion with Jesus as the Messiah. — A T eander : Planting and 
Training, p. 21. 

§38. The Conditions of Church Membership. Observe (1) that these 
converts were received into the church at once, on their profession of repentance 
and their consent to receive baptism, without waiting for instruction in Christian 
doctrine, of which they must have been almost wholly ignorant; (2) that they 
were received on the basis of personal repentance and acceptance of the word, as 
converts to the religion of Jesus Christ. . . . (3) It is not impossible that the 
apostles may have received some who were not savingly converted, for they were 
not infallible in their spiritual judgments of men. . . . (4) It is, however, clear 
from the next verse that the majority of these converts were humble and docile 
recipients of the new faith, as taught by the apostles, and were steadfast in it. — 
Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 48^. 

FELLOWSHIP AND GROWTH IN THE CHURCH. 

§ 39. External Worship among the Early Believers. At first it would 
have seemed natural that the followers of a Teacher whom the priests had con- 
demned to death, who had once nearly been stoned, and once all but seized in 
the very courts of the Temple . . . , should keep aloof from the sanctuary that 
had thus been desecrated. But they remembered that He had claimed it as His 
Father's house, that His zeal for that house had been as a consuming passion . . . , 
and therefore they had attended its worship daily before the Day of Pentecost 
. . . ; and it was not less, but infinitely more, precious to them now, as the place 
where they could meet with God, than it had been in the days of ignorance, 
before they had known the Christ, and through Him had learnt to know the 
Father. The apparent strangeness of their being allowed to meet in the Temple 
is explained partly by the fact that its courts were opened to all Israelites who did 
not disturb its peace, partly by the existence of a moderate half-believing party in 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 2. 13 

the Sanhedrin itself, including Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathsea and Gamaliel 
. . . ; and by the popularity gained for a time by the holiness and liberal alms- 
giving of the new community. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 
5 6 ^ 57 a - 

§40. The Inner Life of the Early Believers. If we adhere mainly to the 
Acts, we get the impression that a holy joy on the part of the faithful was the key- 
note of their inner life : the joyful consciousness of salvation, of redemption by 
Christ who had been cruciiied and was risen again. The joyous tone of their 
heart found expression vi the prayer of thanksgiving. . . . The feeling of joy 
sprang from the certainty of being redeemed. . . . Redemption, according to the 
testimony of the apostles, and the experience of believers themselves, was two- 
fold : firstly, forgiveness of sins, the purging away of guilt, deliverance from divine 
wrath . . . ; and secondly, the gift of the Holy Ghost . . . , which was given to 
all who received the word of salvation in faith and obedience. . . . These two 
favours — forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit — form the chief features 
of the blessing . . . imparted by God's hand to those who were converted, in 
fulfilment of the promise of the covenant which was given to the patriarchs . . . , 
particularly to Abraham. — Lechler : Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, 
PP- Zh 3§- 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§41. The Fulfillment of History, Prophecy, and Promise. The descent 
of the Holy Spirit ushered in a new dispensation toward which God's purpose for 
the redemption of humanity had been steadily working through the so-called 
patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations. As such it had been repeatedly foretold by 
the prophets, and explicitly promised by Christ. 

§42. The Holy Spirit in Relation to the Spirit of Man. In the Old 
Testament the Spirit of God was conceived of as a power external to man, coming 
upon only a few individuals, and working on them from without; in the New 
Testament he is revealed as a divine person sent by Christ to humanity, who, by 
taking up his abode in the heart, becomes the indwelling Spirit working from the 
center of man's life outwardly. 

§43. The Indwelling Spirit. The Spirit of God at the center of man's life, 
renewing, purifying, ennobling all his thoughts and activities, bringing him into 
fellowship with God and into holy and unselfish relations to his fellow men, — 
this is God's high and loving purpose respecting man. 

§44. The Enlarging of Man through the Spirit. "Man is a vessel 
designed to receive God, a vessel which must be enlarged in proportion as it is 
filled, and filled in proportion as it is enlarged." — Godet. 

§ 45. The Fullness and Freeness of the Gospel. Salvation was offered as 
freely to those who had slain Christ as to his best friends. "The Lord is good; 
his mercy endureth for ever"' (Ps., 100:5). ^ e does not w i sn "that any should 
perish, but that all should come to repentance " (2 Pet. 3:9). 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES.* 

1. THE Day OF Pentecost: Abbott, Commentary, Acts, p. 36; Plumptre, Handy 
Commentary, Acts, pp. 35, 36; Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., " Pentecost." 2. THE DESCENT 
OF THE Sp'lRIT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW EPOCH IN HISTORY: Schaff, History 
of the Apostolic Church, pp. 191, 192. 3. THE GIFT OF TONGUES : .See Commen- 
taries on Acts, ch. 2; Lechler, Apostolic and Post-apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 27, 28; 
Xeander, Planting and Training, pp. ic-17 ; Schaff, History of the Apostolic Church, 

pp. 197-203. 4. The Sermon of Peter, and its Results: Schaff, History of the 
Apostolic Church, pp. 204-207; see Commentaries on Acts, ch. 2. 



14 The Bible Study Manual. 

Lesson 3. -THE HEALING OF THE LAME MAN, AND ITS 
EESULTS, The Beginning of Persecution. 

EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 46. Design of the Lesson. To show how the first persecution against the 
church was stirred up in consequence of the healing of the lame man by Peter; 
how Peter and John were arrested and brought before the highest tribunal of the 
Jews; and why their judges, though amazed and angered at their boldness, feared 
to do more than to threaten them and let them go. 

§47. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson, (i) Let the teacher refresh 
his mind concerning the method in which these lessons should be studied and 
taught, as stated in The Outlook and in § 4, Lesson 1, in this Manual. 

(2) Begin the study of the lesson by showing how the prodigious excitement 
caused by the events of the day of Pentecost must have demanded a season of 
repose during which the believers could settle into a calm realization of the signifi- 
cance of those events, and, by the strengthening and clarifying of their faiths 
become prepared for the coming shock of opposition. 

(3) Show that the rulers did not at once begin to persecute the church, because 
{a) they were themselves amazed and. perplexed at the Pentecostal occurrences; 
(ti) they hoped that as the excitement calmed down the results would likewise 
disappear; (7) the converts conducted themselves as strict Jews; and (d) the 
Messianic belief which they professed rested after all on a cherished national hope, 
and the rulers fancied that this outbreak was only one of many similar Messianic 
disturbances characteristic of the time. 

(4) In the healing of the lame man picture the sudden reaction in him from the 
dull hopelessness of a helpless and impoverished cripple to the joy, the buoyancy, 
the immeasurable possibilities consequent on the possession of perfect health; 
the excitement caused by his actions; and the deep impression made by Peter's 
address. 

(5) Show how by this occurrence the eyes of the rulers were opened as to the 
hold gained by this new religious movement, how they took immediate measures 
to suppress it, and how having arrested Peter and John they were compelled to 
let them go after merely warning them against further work in the name of Jesus. 
The popularity of the apostles is shown in the fact that the rulers dared not pro- 
ceed further against them for fear of the people. 

(6) Note how this beginning of opposition, instead of depressing the hearts of 
the believers, filled them with confidence, thanksgiving and praise, and led to a fresh 
baptism of spiritual power. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§48. Source of the First Persecution of the Church. It does not appear 
that the Pharisees, though they had taken the lead in the condemnation of Christ, 



Library Extracts on Lesson J. 15 

were eager, after that event, to persecute his followers. They looked on the illit- 
erate Galileans as worthy of no further attention, especially since they strictly 
observed the ceremonial law, and at first abstained from controverting the pecul- 
iar tenets of their party; they allowed them to remain undisturbed, like some 
other sects by whom their own interests were not affected. But instead of the 
Pharisees, the Sadducees came forward as persecutors of the Gospel which was 
spreading in every direction with unrestrained power. The earnestness and zeal 
with which the disciples testified of the Risen Saviour, and of the hope of a future 
Resurrection founded on him, must have rendered them hateful to this sect. . . . 
The Sadducees were noted for their harshness and inhumanity. Since they could 
not venture to oppugn directly and openly the doctrines of the Pharisees, they 
must have welcomed the opportunity of attacking, under another pretext, a sect 
zealous for those doctrines, and rapidly spreading, and of bringing the authority 
of the Sanhedrin to bear against them. But what served to render the Christians 
hateful to the Sadducees, must have contributed to render the Pharisees favorably 
disposed towards them. — Neander : Planting and Training, p. 38. 

§49. Peter and John Coworkers for Christ. They were probably about 
the same age (the idea that Peter was some years older than John rests mainly 
on the pictures which artists have drawn from their imagination, and has no 
evidence in Scripture), and had been friends from their youth upward. They had 
been partners as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. They had been sharers in 
looking for the consolation of Israel, and had together received the baptism of 
John. John and Andrew had striven winch should be the first to tell Peter that 
they had found the Christ. The two had been sent together to prepare for the 
Passover. John takes Peter into the palace of the high priest, and though he 
must have witnessed his denials, is not estranged from him. It is to John that 
Peter turns for comfort after his fall, and with him he comes to the sepulchre on 
the morning of the Resurrection. The eager affection which, now more strongly 
than ever, bound the two together is seen in Peter's question, " Lord, and what 
shall this man do?" and now they are again sharers in action and in heart, in 
teaching and in worship. . . . When it was that they parted never to meet again, 
we have no record. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 58. 

THE HEALING OF THE LAME 31 AX AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE. 

§ 50. Healing in the Name of Jesus. First concentrating his [Peter's] gaze, 
with that of John, upon the suppliant, he answers, "Took on us!" They had 
learned the Master's method, and were now practicing it. He, almost always, 
tarried to question, or to interpose some act which required delay. And his 
purpose was always the same; to excite or deepen expectation, faith, hope on the 
part of the helpless needy one. He always helped the spirit first; led it to 
trust, and then deepened the trust by rewarding it with healing. So the twain 
disciples stirred the man to expert some gift — how much, he knew not. 

Then followed Peter's response to the man's entreaty : " Rise, walk, in the 
name of Jesus of Nazareth!" A stupendous, sublime faith in Christ's absolute 
Deity and Lordship stands out in these bold words ! To these disciples he is 
indeed the living reigning God. His own spirit of mercy toward misery led them 
thus to invoke his willing might for deliverance of the wretched. . . . Not only in 
Peter's expression of utter dependence upon the power of Christ, but also by his 
act in taking the man's hand and lifting him up, do we distinguish the disciple's 
miracle-working from the Master's. Christ spoke, sometimes touched, but never 
used physical strength in connection with any miracle. — Butler : Bible-Work, 
New Test., vol. ii, p. 27^. 



16 



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§51. The Typical Significance of the First Miracle. Why was this 
miracle of healing the cripple at the temple gate the only one recorded of those 
earliest signs and wonders wrought by apostolic hands? The answer seems to be 
threefold : this miracle was typical of the Church's future work; it was the occa- 
sion of St. Peter's testimony before the Sanhedrin; and it led up to the first 
persecution which the Jewish authorities raised against the Church. . . . 

This miracle was typical of the Church's work, for it was a beggar that was 
healed, and this beggar lay helpless and hopeless at the very doors of the temple. 
The beggar typified humanity at large. . . . Humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, lay 
at the very gate of God's temple of the universe. . . . 

This miracle of healing the beggar was typical of the Church's work again, 
because it was a beggar who thus received a blessing when the Church roused 
itself to the discharge of its great mission. The first man healed and benefited 
by St. Peter was a poor man, and the Church's work has ever led her to deal with 
the poor, and to interest herself most keenly in their well-being. . . . But yet, 
again, the conversion of this beggar was effected through his healing; and here 
we see a type of the Church's future work. . . . The Church should count no 
human interest beyond its sway, and should take the keenest interest and claim a 
living share in every portion of life's work. . . . Furthermore, . . . this miracle 
has been divinely recorded because it was the occasion of St. Peter's testimony 
both to the people and to their rulers. — Stokes : Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 
159-161, 164, 165. 

§ 52. The Beautiful Gate. There was one gate . . . which was of Corinthi- 
an brass, and greatly excelled those that were only covered with silver and gold. 
. . . Its height was fifty cubits, and its doors were forty cubits; and it was 
adorned after a most costly manner, as having much 
richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them 
than the other. . . . There were fifteen steps, which 
led from the wall of the court of the women to this 
greater gate : whereas those that led thither from the 
other gates were five steps shorter. — Josephus : Wars, 
vol. ii, Bk. v, ch. 5, § 3. 

Remark. — The Beautiful Gate is supposed to have been 
located at the point marked 8 on the accompanying plan of the 
temple. Solomojis Porch was a wide and beautiful covered 
colonnade of Corinthian columns 37/2 feet high, running along 
the eastern side of the temple area (12 on the plan). It was closed 
on the side toward the outer wall, and open on the side toward 
the courts of the temple. It was a place for public gatherings. 



tfn 




Plan of the TempU 



PETER'S ADDRESS IN THE TEMPLE. 

§ 53. Peter's Mental Attitude toward his Hearers. Peter would have 
spoken in a different strain to obstinate unbelievers. But here he hoped to meet 
with minds open to conviction. He therefore avoided saying what would only 
exasperate and repel them. After he had said what tended to convince them of 
their guilt, he adopted a milder tone, to infuse confidence and encourage the 
contrite. He brought forward what might be said in extenuation of those who 
had united in the condemnation of Christ, " that in ignorance they had denied 
the Messiah," and that as far as they and their rulers had acted in ignorance, it 
was in consequence of a higher necessity. It was the eternal .counsel of God that 
the Messiah should suffer for the salvation of men, as had been predicted by the 
prophets. . . . 

[In saying this, however,] Peter by no means acquits them of all criminality, as 



Library Extracts on Lesson J. 17 

the connexion of his words with what he had before said plainly shows; for he 
had brought forward the example of Pilate to point out how great was the crimi- 
nality of those who, even in their blindness, condemned Jesus. — Neander : 
Planting and Training, pp. 39, 40. 

§ ^4. The Coming Again of Christ. The apostle enforces his exhortation 
to repent by an appeal to the final coming of Christ, not because he would repre- 
sent it as near in point of time, but because that event was always near to the 
feelings and consciousness of the iirst believers. It was the great consummation on 
which the strongest desires of their souls were fixed, to which their thoughts and 
hopes were habitually turned. They lived with reference to this event. They 
laboured to be prepared for it. They were constantly, in the expressive language 
of Peter, looking for and (in their impatience as it were) hastening the arrival of 
the day of God (2 Pet. 3:12). . . . As we should expect, they hold it up to the 
people of God to encourage them in affliction, to awaken them to fidelity, zeal, 
perseverance, and on the other hand appeal to it to warn the wicked, and impress 
upon them the necessity of preparation for the revelations of the final day. — 
Ilackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 63. 

§55. Times of Refreshing. The Greek word signifies " appointed times," 
i. e. which God hath appointed and which He keeps in His own power, but which 
the penitence of man will hasten. They are called " times of refreshing," i. e. 
peace and blessedness, for the Apostle describes them afterwards as the coming of 
the Christ. But by the prophecies which he quotes he shows that the refreshing 
is for those only who repent (v. 23) and hear the prophet whom God sends. The 
anticipatiou of a speedy return of Christ from heaven was common among the first 
believers. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, pp. 36, 37. 

PETER AND JOHN BEFORE THE COUNCTL. 

§56. The Sanhedrin. (1) Its History. — There is no evidence to show 
that, previous to the Greek period, there existed at Jerusalem an aristocratic 
council claiming to exercise either supreme, or what was substantially supreme, 
authority and jurisdiction over the whole Jewish nation. . . . The first occasion 
on which it is mentioned, and that under this designation, is in the time of Anti- 
ochus the Great (223-187 B.C.). . . . 

(2) Its Composition. — Till the very last, the head of the sacerdotal aristocracy 
continued to preside over the Sanhedrim. . . . The number of members amounted 
to seventy-one, clearly taking as its model the council of eiders in the time of 
Moses Sadducees and Pharisees alike had seats in the Sanhedrim (espe- 
cially during the Romano-Herodian period). . . . [During this period] the 
greatest amount of influence was already practically in the hands of the Pharisees, 
with whose demands the Sadducees were obliged, however reluctantly, to 
comply. . . . 

(3) I is Jurisdiction. — As regards the area over which the jurisdiction of the 
supreme Sanhedrim extended, ... its civil authority was restricted, in the time 
of Christ, to . . . Judaea proper. ... It formed, in contrast to the foreign 
authority of Rome, that supre?ne native court which . . . the Romans had allowed 
to continue as before, only imposing certain restrictions with regard to competency. 
. . . The Sanhedrim was, above all, the final court of appeal for questions con- 
nected with the Mosaic law, . . . [and] was called upon to intervene in every 
case in which the lower courts could not agree as to their judgment. ... As the 
Roman system of provincial government was not strictly carried out in the case 
of Judaea, . . . the Sanhedrim was still left in the enjoyment of a comparatively 
high degree of independence. ... It was only in cases in which sentence of 



i8 



The Bible Study Manual. 



death was pronounced that the judgment required to be ratified by the authority 
of the procurator. . . . The stoning of Stephen . . . [is] to be regarded either 

as a case of excess of jurisdiction, or as 
an act of irregular mob-justice. . . . 

(4) Jtidicial Procedure. — The mem- 
bers of the court sat in a semicircle . . . 
in order that they might be able to see 
each other. ... In cases involving a cap- 
ital sentence, ... it was the practice 
always to hear the reasons in favour of 
acquittal in the first place, which being 
done, those in favour of a conviction 
might next be stated. . . . For a sentence 
of acquittal a simple majority was suf- 
ficient, while for one of condemnation 
... a majority of two was required. — 
Schilrer : The Jewish People in the Time 
of Christ, 2d Div., vol. i, pp. 165, 166, 
174, 178, 179, 184-189, 193, 194. 




The Sanhedrin. 

A. Presiding officer; the other members 
being seated in the order of their rank, the 
first on his right hand, the next on his left 
hand, and so on. B. C. Scribes; one to 
record verdicts of guilty, and the other 
verdicts of acquittal. D. The prisoner. 



§57. The Supremacy of Conscience. "Whether it be right in the sight 
of God" [judge ye] . The words assert the right of conscience, recognising a 
divine authority, to resist a human authority which opposes it. In theory, as the 
appeal " judge ye " showed even then, the right so claimed is of the nature of an 
axiom. In practice, the difficulty rises in the question, Is there the divine 
authority which is claimed? And the only practical answer is to be found in the 
rule, that men who believe they have the authority are bound to act as if they 
had it. If the Lord God hath spoken to them, they can but prophesy (Amos 
3:8). In cases such as this [of the apostles], where the question is one of 
witness to facts, they must not tamper with the truth, if they believe themselves 
commissioned by God to declare the facts, for fear of offending men. When they 
pass from facts to doctrines inferred from facts, from doctrines to opinions, from 
opinions to conjectures, the duty of not saying that which they do not believe 
remains the same, but there is not the same obligation to proclaim what they thus 
hold in various stages of assent. There may be cases in which reticence is right 
as well as politic. 

And even in regard to facts, the publication . . . must not be gratuitous. 
There must be an adequate authority, or an adequate reason for disobedience to 
the human authority, which is binding until it is superseded by that which is 
higher than itself. And the onus probandi [burden of proof] rests on the man 
who asserts the higher authority. Intensity of conviction may be enough for 
himself, but it cannot be expected that it will be so for others. In the absence 
of signs and wonders the question must be discussed on the wide ground of 
Reason and of Conscience, and the man who refuses to enter into debate on that 
ground because he is certain he is right is ipso facto convicted of an almost insane 
egotism. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, p. 74. 



THE THANKSGIVING PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. 

§ 58. The Spirit of the Early Christians. The pure and holy spirit of 
Christ breathes in this prayer. It exhibits no trace of revengeful feeling, of carnal 
zeal, or of a desire for the destruction of any enemies: however zealous these 
Christians are in the cause of God, all that they presume to ask is, that he would 
behold the threatenings of their enemies, and graciously enable them to bear 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 4. 19 

witness in word and in deed, with confidence and joy. Even as Christ did not 
come to condemn, hut to save the world . . . , so, too, the apostles and other 
believers are controlled, not by the penal, burning zeal of an Elijah, but by deep 
love for the souls of men, who are to be saved through the instrumentality of 
their words and acts, and to be condueted to salvation in Christ. . . . The prom- 
ise is given unconditionally that such prayers shall be heard. The prayer was, 
accordingly, answered — it was answered immediately, and above all that they 
had asked or thought. . . . The believers could not have been filled with the 
Holy Ghost [as they were on this occasion], if they had not previously offered 
this prayer. — Lecliler: In Lange's Commentary, Acts, p. 82^. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 59. Miracles Not Needed Now. By its effects on human life and charac- 
ter, Christianity has proved itself to be of God. If men will not be convinced by 
the accumulated evidences of eighteen hundred years of history, neither would 
they be persuaded by miracles (cf. Lu. 16: 27-31). 

§60. The Importance of the Resurrection. Christianity is not a mere sys- 
tem of morality, for then it Mould be independent of its Author, and could be 
adequately expounded from a book. But since Christianity is a spiritual energy 
that renews and transforms men, its source must be, not a dead Christ, but a Christ 
who lives, and by his own triumph over physical death demonstrates his power to 
rescue other men from spiritual death. 

§ 61. No Other Name. The name of Jesus is the symbol of his living person- 
ality and infinite power. What no man can do for himself or for others, what 
none but Christ can do for any man, may be done for every man by the uplifting, 
renewing, and keeping power of the exalted and enthroned Christ. 

§62. The Sinner's Supreme Need. Not more instruction, but more power; 
not a moral philosopher who stands at distance and discourses eloquently of sin 
and virtue; but a Saviour whose love and sympathy embrace the fallen and help- 
less, who inspires hope and courage, destroys the power of indwelling sin, girds 
him with strength, and lifts him into fellowship with God. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The First Apostolic Miracle Typical of the Church's Future 
Work: Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 158-172. 2. The Hostility of the 
Saoducees : Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 177-181 ; Leckler, Apostolic and 
Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 71-79. 3. The Early Apostolic Preaching : Ibid, 
pp. 266-284. 4- " Seasons of REFRESHING " : Abbott, Commentary, Acts, pp. 54, 55 ; 
Lange, Commentary, Acts, p. 70. 5. THE DESIGNATION " THY SERVANT (A. V., 
"Child") Jesus" IN ACTS 3:13; 4:30: Lange, Commentary, Acts, pp. 67, 68. 



Lesson 4. LIFE WITHIN THE CHURCH. The Community of Goods 
During the Early Years, and the Sin of Ananias and Sapphira. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 
§ 63. Design of the Lesson. To show how the sense of Christian love and 
brotherhood affected the social life of the believers, and how this gave opportu- 
nity for the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. 



20 The Bible Study Manual. 

§64. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Recall your experience 
in teaching previous lessons ; and in view of the suggestions made in The Out- 
look and in §4, Lesson 1, in this Manual, note the points at which the class 
work has not been satisfactory, or seems capable of improvement. 

(2) Note that the rights of property were not abolished, but that the law gov- 
erning the use of property was subordinated to the law of love to such a degree 
that the result was a virtual community of goods. Each one regarded himself, 
not as owner, but as steward of the property entrusted to him. 

(3) Make it clear that the contributions which flowed into the common treas- 
ury were not compulsory, but voluntary. Each one was permitted to retain or 
bestow whatever he pleased. Yet so strong was the feeling of brotherhood that 
the majority seem to have sold all their possessions and placed the proceeds at 
the feet of the apostles. 

(4) Call attention to the fact that this ideal communism was practiced by the 
church in Jerusalem only; that the practical result, as seen perhaps in the subse- 
quent impoverishment of the church, was not altogether happy; and that the 
practice is nowhere inculcated in the New Testament. 

(5) Contrast the open-hearted generosity of Barnabas witL me hypocritical 
selfishness of Ananias and his wife, and show why their sin deservjd such severe 
and sudden punishment. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

§65. Primitive Forms of Worship, The first Christians assembled daily 
either in the Temple, or in private houses; in the latter case they met in small 
companies, since their numbers were already too great for one chamber to hold 
them all. Discourses on the doctrine of salvation were addressed to believers 
and to those who were just won over to the faith, and prayers were offered up. 
As the predominating consciousness of the joy of redemption influenced and 
sanctified the whole of earthly life, nothing earthly could remain untransformed 
by this relation to a higher state. Thus even the daily meal of which believers 
partook as members of one family was sanctified by it. . . . At the close of the 
meal, the presider distributed bread and wine to the persons present, as a memo- 
rial of Christ's similar distribution to the disciples. Thus every meal was conse- 
crated to the Lord, and, at the same time, was a meal of brotherly love. Hence 
the designations afterwards chosen were ..." Lord's Supper" and" Love-feast." 
— Neander : Planting and Training, pp. 22, 23. 

HAVING ALL THINGS COMMON. 

§66. The Origin of Church Communism. The first Christian Pentecost 
and the days succeeding it were a period of strained expectation, a season of 
intense religious excitement, which naturally led to the community of goods. 
There was no apostolic rule or law laid down in the matter. It seems to have 
been a course of action to which the converts spontaneously resorted, as the 
logical deduction from two principles which they held; first, their brotherhood 
a*d union in Christ; secondly, 'me nearness of Christ's second advent. The time 



Library Extracts on Lesson 4. 21 

was short. The Master had passed into the invisible world whence He would 
shortly reappear. Why should they not then, as brethren in Christ, have one 
common purse, and spend the whole time in waiting and watching for that loved 
presence? This seems a natural explanation of the origin of a line of policy 
which has been often appealed to in the practical life of modern Europe as an 
example for modern Christians; and yet, when we examine it more closely, we 
can see that this book of the Acts of the Apostles, while it tells of their mistake, 
carries with it the correction of the error into which these earliest disciples fell. 
The community of goods was adopted in no other Church. At Corinth, Ephesus, 
Rome, we hear nothing of it in those primitive times. — Stokes: Acts of the 
Apostles, vol. i, pp. 197, 19S. 

§ 67. Communism in Jerusalem, both Voluntary and Partial. It was not 
required of the members that they surrender their property for the benefit of their 
brethren. For Peter said to Ananias, " While it remained, did it not remain thine 
own? And after it was sold was it not in thy power? " Such a gift was wholly 
voluntary. Ananias might have been a member "in good standing" without 
surrendering any of his possessions. It was not regarded as a term of fellowship, 
and it was not a condition of membership in the new church. There is not much 
danger in a communism that is voluntary, for it is not likely to become extremely 
popular. It was also partial, for a little later we find that Mary, the mother of 
Mark, had a house in Jerusalem (Acts. 12: 12). Even of Ananias and Sapphira 
it is said that they sold a possession. It by no means follows that that was all 
they had. — Thatcher : History of the Apostolic Church, p. 78. 

§ 6S. Effects of Communism on the Jerusalem Church. The Church of 
Jerusalem, as the apostolic history shows us, reaped the natural results of this 
talse step. They adopted the principles of communism; they lost hold of that 
principle of individual life and exertion which lies at the very root of all civilisa- 
tion and all advancement, and they fell, as a natural result, into the direst poverty. 
There was no reason in the nature of its composition why the Jerusalem Church 
should have been more poverty-stricken than the Churches of Ephesus, Philippi, 
or Corinth. Slaves and very humble folk constituted the staple of these Churches. 
At Jerusalem a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith, and the 
priests were, as a class, in easy circumstances. . . . There was nothing to make 
the mother church of Christendom that pauper community we find it to have been 
all through St. Paul's ministry, save the one initial mistake, which doubtless the 
Church authorities found it very hard afterwards to retrieve; for when men get 
into the habit of living upon alms it is very difficult to restore the habits of healthy 
independence. — Stokes : Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 198-200. 

§ 69. Perfect Citizens Needed for an Ideal Commonwealth. [In the 
early church] each felt that he held his possessions only as a trust, and if occasion 
called for it, they were to be given up. Such love towards one another, Christ had 
foretold, should be a mark of His disciples. . . . All those who have sketched a 
perfect society, as Plato in his Republic, and Sir Thos. More in his Utopia, have 
placed among their regulations this kind of community of goods which was estab- 
lished by the first Christians. In theory it is the perfection of a commonwealth, 
but there is need of perfection in the citizens before it can be realized. There 
can be no question that an expectation of Christ's immediate return from heaven, 
acting along with the unity of thoughts and feelings, made these men willing to 
part with their possessions and goods, their being, as we shall see from the case of 
Ananias, no constraint upon them to do so. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, 
P-5 1 - 



2 2 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 70. The Ideal Commonwealth at Present Impracticable. The ideal 
perfection of man's condition is just that, in which neither poor nor rich are to 
be found, but every individual has his wants supplied. Intimations that such a 
condition must one day be realized, are to be found, not only in the reckless cry 
after freedom and equality, but also in the most exalted of our race. Pythagoras 
and Plato were captivated with this idea; the Essenes and other small bodies 
attempted to realize it. But the outward realization of it requires certain internal 
conditions; and just because these conditions were wanting, the attempts referred 
to could not but fail. These conditions, however, were secured by the Redeemer, 
who poured pure brotherly love into the hearts of believers; but as the Church 
herself still appears in this world externally veiled, so the true community of goods 
cannot be outwardly practised. — Olshausen : In Meyer's Commentary, Acts, 
p. 102. 

§71. The Spirit only of Communism to be Imitated. This practice of 
the apostolic church ought not to be considered as in a literal sense the ideal for 
imitation in all succeeding ages; it must have been a deviation from the natural 
course of social development, such as could agree only with the extraordinary 
manifestation of the divine life in the human race at that particular period. Only 
the spirit and disposition here manifested in thus amalgamating the early posses- 
sions of numbers into one common fund, are the models for the church in its 
development through all ages. For as Christianity never subverts the existing 
natural course of development in the human race, but sanctifies it by a new spirit, 
it necessarily recognizes the division of wealth (based on that development), and 
the inequalities arising from it in the social relations; while it draws from these 
inequalities the materials for the formation and exercise of Christian virtue, and 
strives to lessen them by the only true and never-failing means, namely, the power 
of love. This, we find, agrees with the practice of the churches subsequently 
founded by the apostles, and with the directions given by Paul for the exercise of 
Christian liberty. — Neander : Planting and Training, p. 24. 

§ 72. Modern Social Theories. The following definitions and outlines of 
socialistic theories which are advanced at the present time, are quoted either from 
representative men or from standard authorities. In reading them, notice how 
they all purpose to relieve humanity from the evils which now afflict it, by a radical 
change in the orgaitization of society, rather than, as the gospel does, by a radical 
change in the hearts of men. True brotherhood among men, taught by Christ, 
and hinted at in §§ 71-73 above, can never be realized by force. Theories, which 
ignore the selfishness and sin — the sinful tendencies — in human nature, are 
impracticable until we have perfect men to deal with. 

(1) Communism means the negation of private property; it describes a society 
in which the land and instruments of production would be held as joint property 
and used for the common account, industry being regulated by a magistrate, and 
the produce being publicly divided in equal shares, or according to wants, or on 
some other principle of distributive justice. — Globe Encyclopedia. 

(2) Socialism holds an intermediate position between pure Communism and 
simple cooperation. Unlike Communism, it does not advocate the absolute aboli- 
tion of property, but aims simply at a more just and equitable distribution of it. — 
Johnsoffs Universal Cyclopaedia. 

(3) State Socialism is the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be man- 
aged by the government, regardless of individual choice. The idea is that State 
control would bring the individual a much larger liberty than he now enjoys. 

(4) Nationalism. — Workmen will not receive a just proportion of the product 
of their labor until they receive the whole product. ... In order to receive the 



Library Extracts on Lesson 4. 23 

profits which now go to the employers, they must become their own employers 
[by assuming] . . . through their salaried [government] agents the conduct of 
industry ... for the benefit of the people as the principals. . . . [Then] there 
will be no ground left for a dispute between workmen and capitalists, for every 
one will be at one and the same time employer and employee. — Edward Bellamy. 
(5) Anarchism is the doctrine that all the affairs of men should be managed 
by individuals or voluntary associations, and that the State should be abolished. 
... A just distribution of the products of labor is to be obtained by destroying 
all sources of income except labor. These sources may be summed up in one 
word, — usury; and the three principal forms of usury are interest, rent, and 
profit. These all rest upon legal privilege and monopoly [the result of govern- 
ment]. . . . When all drains upon labor are stopped, labor will be left in posses- 
sion of its product. — Benj. A'. Tucker. 

THE SIN OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. 

§ 73. A Study in Hypocrisy. The offense of Ananias and Sapphira showed 
contempt for God, vanity and ambition in the offenders, and utter disregard of 
the corruption which they were bringing into the society. Such sin, committed in 
despite of the light which they possessed, called for a special mark of Divine 
indignation, and to those who, likewise filled with the Spirit, knew all that had 
been done and why it was done, there is no shock produced by the terrible doom 
of the sinners, nor any language employed in the narration but the simplest and 
plainest. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 53. 

§ 74. Motive for their Crime. Ananias and Sapphira coveted popularity and 
high position which they saw those enjoying who had thus given all they possessed 
to their brethren and were spending their lives in the services of the gospel. But 
this popularity came high; it would cost them their possessions. And such a 
price they were unwilling to pay. So they tried to get it by means of hypocrisy. 
They professed to give all that they had received for the piece of property which 
they had sold. Hypocrites are a hindrance in any good movement. The better 
the movement, the greater danger from such people, and the more injurious are 
their presence and influence. A few individuals of such character, who in this 
way had got leading positions in the young church, could have ruined it. The 
danger was great, the remedy severe. — Thatcher: History of the Apostolic 
Church, p. 80. 

§ 75. The Falsehood and Doom of Sapphira. Peter gave her no time or 
opportunity to learn what had transpired. Instantly he asks the plain direct 
question as to the sum received for the land. And as instantly, unhesitatingly, 
she reaffirms in words the acted falsehood of her now dead husband. To this, 
her last utterance, Peter responds by stating the aggravation of their guilt, in their 
deliberate agreement to deceive and defraud the Spirit of God, and then prophet- 
ically announces her like fearful doom and burial with her husband. Speechless, 
also, she falls and dies. By the same hands her body is laid beside her husband. 
— Butler : Bible-Work, New Test., vol. ii, p. 370. 

§ 76. Severity of the Punishment. Those who criticise the severity of the 
punishment find fault with God. It appears unduly severe only if our consciences 
fail to judge aright the heinousness of the sin. Observe, (1) That no sentence 
is pronounced by Peter. There is nothing even to indicate that he anticipated 
the death of Ananias. The death of Sapphira he foretold . . . , but he did not 
inflict. . . . (2) The death of Ananias, if it stood alone, might, perhaps, be attrib- 
uted to the natural effect of shame and remorse at the public exposure of his 



24 The Bible Study Manual, 

hypocrisy. Coupled with the immediately succeeding death of his wife, it is 
impossible for an unprejudiced reader to doubt that it was the special and direct 
infliction of God. — Abbott: Commentary, Acts, p. 66#. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 77. The Essential Basis of Christian Unity. An external unity of the 
many bodies into which Christendom is broken up, resting on uniformity in creed 
and practice, seems at present unattainable. But a practical Christian unity, rest- 
ing on a common participation in the life of Christ is not only attainable, but it 
should manifest itself in a feeling of brotherliness and sympathy toward all who 
have the spirit of Christ, and of joyful cooperation with them as far as possible in 
all Christian work. 

§ 78. A Perfect Community not to be Realized at Present. An ideally 
perfect social organization demands as its basis an ideally perfect human constitu- 
ency. This fact does not, however, release us from the duty of trying to remedy 
in great measure the flagrant evils and inequalities that are tolerated in the pres- 
ent state of society. 

§ 79. The Uplifting of the Individual Man Must Precede the Uplifting 
of the Community. No scheme for the bettering of society as a whole can be 
largely or permanently successful that does not take into account the moral uplift- 
ing of the individual man. Social, political, and economic conditions may be 
improved, the burdens and responsibilities of the community may be more evenly 
distributed, but so long as selfishness remains the dominant force in human nature, 
the evils which are suppressed in one form will speedily break out in another. 

§ 80. The Kingdom of God among Men. In so far as the kingdom of 
God is realized among men, it displaces selfishness and introduces the royal law 
of love. Were selfishness everywhere displaced by love, most of the evils that 
now afflict society would disappear at once. 

§81. Christianity the Only Permanent Remedy for the World's Ills. 
Men are beginning to realize as never before that the mission of Christ in the 
world is not fulfilled by rescuing an individual here and there and fitting him for 
heaven. Its mission also concerns .this world, the uplifting and renewing of all 
life, individual and social, intellectual and moral, political and religious. It is the 
only power in the world that can permanently and successfully accomplish this 
result, since it does not waste its energy in applying remedies at the surface, but, 
by purifying human life at the center, purifies all the outgoings of that life. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Private Worship and the Temple Service: Lechler, Apostolic and Post- 
Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 40-51. 2. THE FIRST FORM OF THE CHRISTIAN COM- 
MUNITY: Neander, Planting and Training, pp. 20-28. 3. COMMUNITY OF GOODS IN 
THE Early Church : Lechler, Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 81-87. 
4. Origin of Church Officers: Ibid, pp. 92-96; Neander, Planting and Training, 
pp. 29-36. 5. The Transition from Judaism to Christianity: Ibid, pp. 36, 
37 ; Fisher, Beginnings of Christianity, pp. 469-472. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 5. -THE APOSTLES AKRESTED AND BEATEN. The 

Eenewal of Persecution. 



EDITORIAL NOTES.' 

§82. Design of the Lesson. To show the twofold effect of the many- 
apostolic miracles upon (i) the people, and (2) the rulers; and how the latter 
would have slain the apostles, but, being dissuaded by Gamaliel, severely flogged 
them for their disobedience, and let them go rejoicing that they were permitted to 
suffer for the name of Christ. * 

§83. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Follow in general the 
Directions for Study in the Quarterly, and the additional suggestions already 
given in the MANUAL. In particular: 

(2) Emphasize the fact that the many miracles wrought by the apostles were 
not performed by their power, but by that of the Holy Spirit; and that they were 
not wrought for the profit or glory of the apostles, but simply to accredit them as 
God's messengers. 

(3) Notice that these displays of divine power through the apostles naturally 
made a most favorable impression on the multitudes, who themselves, or in the 
persons of their kindred and friends, were joyfully experiencing the healing and 
converting influences of that power. 

(4) But note that the rulers, seeing the people drawn away from themselves, 
and their own authority set at naught, were so fdled with jealousy and rage that, 
except for the calm and commanding influence of Gamaliel, they would have 
murdered the apostles. 

(5) Note, furthermore, how this persecution was incited chiefly by the Saddu- 
cean party, who, owing to their disbelief in a spiritual world or a future life, 
regarded the story of Christ's resurrection as a pernicious delusion, which ought 
by all means to be stamped out. 

(6) Yet the apostles themselves, in the face of this materialistic unbelief, were 
granted fresh and convincing evidence of the reality of that spiritual world by an 
angelic messenger who opened the prison gates for them; and, though they 

2 5 



26 The Bible Study Manual. 

were scourged for their disobedience of the Sanhedrin's commands, they were not 
disheartened by this, but rejoiced the more at being counted worthy to suffer for 
the sake of him whom they knew as the risen and exalted Christ. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

MANY APOSTOLIC MIRACLES. 

§ 84. A New Feature of Apostolic Work, and its Effect. The deaths of 
Ananias and Sapphira seem now to us extraordinary and awe-inspiring, and suffi- 
cient to strike terror into the hearts of all unbelievers; but probably the story of 
them had never reached the ears of the authorities. . . . The public miracles 
which St. Peter wrought, these were the things which brought matters to a crisis, 
and called afresh the attention of the Sanhedrin, charged as they were with all 
religious authority, as the miracle of healing wrought upon the impotent man had 
led to the arrest of the Apostles on a previous occasion. . . . The deaths of 
Ananias and Sapphira are recorded ... at full length, because they bring eternal 
lessons of justice, judgment, and truth along with them. The numerous public 
miracles wrought by Peter . . . are passed wholly over in the Scriptures as mat- 
ters of no spiritual interest. . . . Only one [of their effects is] noted at length by 
the sacred writer; they led to the fresh arrest of Peter and the other Apostles 
by the High Priest and the sect of the Sadducees, and their incarceration in the 
public prison attached to the temple. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, pp. 230-232. 

§ 85. The Second Attack on the Apostles Inspired by the Sadducees. 

This second interference of the highest Jewish tribunal with respect to the affairs 
of the Church, is marked by increased bitterness of feeling, and may be distinctly 
traced to the influence of the Sadducean party. . . . Luke does not say that the 
high priest himself belonged to that sect (and no evidence of his connection 
with it exists elsewhere), but simply informs us that the Sadducees cooperated 
with him on this occasion. If Annas was a Pharisee, it is quite possible that the 
public appearance of the Christians as a distinct body, temporarily influenced the 
party feelings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, in so far at least, that the distrust 
with which they regarded each other, was forgotten in the presence of a common 
enemy. When, therefore, the Sadducean party unequivocally assumed a hostile 
attitude toward the apostles, the high priest was easily persuaded to become the 
ally of the former. As the resurrection of Jesus was the central fact to which the 
preaching of the apostles continually referred, the most violent opposition which 
they encountered, naturally proceeded precisely from the sect of the Sadducees. 
— Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, Acts, p. 93^. 

§ 86. Beliefs of the Sadducees and Pharisees Compared. The Phari- 
sees teach " that every soul is imperishable, but that only those of the righteous 
pass into another body, while those of the wicked are, on the contrary, punished 
with eternal torment." . . . The Sadducees, on the other hand, say that there is 
no resurrection. ..." They deny the continuance of the soul and the punish- 
ments and rewards of the world below." "According to their teaching, souls 
perish together with bodies." . . . The Sadducees, by denying the resurrection 
and immortality in general, renounced at the same time the entire Messianic hope, 
at least in that form which later Judaism had given it. . . . The Pharisees also 
taught the existence of angels aiid spirits, while the Sadducees denied them. . . . 
[The Pharisees are called] by their adversaries, . . . "the separatists," who for 
the sake of their own special cleanness separated themselves from the bulk of the 
nation. . . . [The Sadducees] acknowledged only the written Thorah [the Penta- 



Library Ext?'acts on Lesson J. 27 

teuch] as binding, and on the other hand rejected the entire traditionary inter pre- 
tat ion . . .by the scribes. . . . All other differences were such as would naturally 
result, if the one did not acknowledge the obligation of the other's exegetical 
traditions. — Schiirer : Jewish People, 2nd Div., vol. ii, pp. 13, 14, 20, 34, 38. 

THE APOSTLES BEFORE THE COUNCIL. 

§ 87. The Apostles Delivered from Prison by an Angel. An angel by 
night opened t!ic prison-doors. As if for a protest against the actions of those [the 
Sadducees] who taught that " there was neither angel nor spirit." There is no 
possibility of explaining St. Luke's words into anything but a miraculous deliver- 
ance. He gives no word that can be twisted into any other meaning. It was not 
an earthquake, it was not a friendly human being who interposed to procure the 
release of the Apostles. The writer readily acknowledges in this very chapter the 
intervention of Gamaliel and its effect, but he is here speaking of supernatural 
aid. If it be remarked that the Apostles make no mention of their miraculous 
deliverance when they are called upon for their defence, it may be answered that 
they in no case dwell on the miracles either wrought by or for them, except where 
they have been wrought under the eyes of men and are to be used as signs of 
the Divine power which was working in and for the Church. To enter on a 
description of a miracle which had been wrought as this deliverance had been, 
and to ground their claims to be heard upon circumstances of which the eyes 
of those to whom they spoke did not bear testimony, is foreign to the whole 
character of the Apostolic ministry. — Luniby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, pp. 
62, 63. 

§ 88. The Meeting Place of the Sanhedrin. Note the marvellous accuracy 
of detail in St. Luke's narrative. The Sanhedrin used to sit in the temple, but 
a few years before the period at which we have arrived, four or five at most, they 
removed from the temple into the city, a fact which is just hinted at in the fifth 
verse of the fourth chapter, where we are told that the rulers, and elders, and 
scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem, that is, in the city, not in the temple; 
while again in this passage we read that when the High Priest came and con- 
vened the council and all the senate of the children of Israel, they sent their 
officers to bring the prisoners before them. These officers after a while returned 
with the information that the Apostles were preaching in the temple. If the San- 
hedrin were meeting in the temple, they would doubtless have learned this fact 
as soon as they assembled, especially as they did not sit till after the morning 
sacrifice, several hours after the Apostles appeared in the temple. — Stokes : Acts, 
vol. i. p. 233. 

§89. St. Peter's Defense Before the Sanhedrin. [His address] exemplifies 
the fulfillment of Christ's promise in Mt. 10: 19. . . . Observe (1) its brevity: 
three sentences; (2) its compactness and completeness ; it declares the crucifixion, 
resurrection, and ascension of our Lord, his double character as King and 
Saviour, his mission to cleanse away sin, the condition of receiving the benefits 
he affords, repentance which is itself his gift, and the twofold evidence of these 
truths, the human and the divine. It may fairly be called the true apostles' 
creed; (3) its Christian spirit : Courage without bitterness; in it Peter refuses 
obedience to the prohibition of the rulers, and accuses them of slaying on the 
cross the Prince of Israel, but preaches to them the Gospel of Salvation, and 
offers to them the gift of the Holy Ghost, on the conditions of repentance and 
faith. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. J2b. 

§ 90. The Appeal of the Apostles from Human to Divine Law. The 



28 The Bible Study Manual. 

Jews, though as a conquered nation they were subject to the Romans, acknowl- 
edged the members of the Sanhedrim as their legitimate rulers; and the injunc- 
tion which the Sanhedrim imposed on the apostles at this time emanated from 
the highest human authority to which they could have felt that they owed 
allegiance. The injunction which this authority laid on the apostles clashed with 
their religious convictions, their sense of the rights of the infinite Ruler, and in 
this conflict between human law and divine, they declared that the obligation to 
obey God was paramount to every other. 

The apostles and early Christians acted on the principle, that human govern- 
ments forfeit their claim to obedience when they require what God has plainly 
forbidden, or forbid what he has required. They claimed the right of judging 
for themselves what was right and what was wrong, in reference to their religious 
and political duties, and they regulated their conduct by that decision. ... In 
applying this principle, it will be found that the apostles in every instance 
abstained from all forcible resistance to the public authorities. They refused 
utterly to obey the mandates which required them to violate their consciences, 
but they endured quietly the penalties which the executors of the law enforced 
against them. They evaded the pursuit of their oppressors if they could, 
secreted themselves from arrest, left their prisons at the command of God, yet 
when violent hands were laid upon them, and they were dragged before magis- 
trates, to the dungeon, or to death, they resisted not the wrong, but " followed 
his steps, who, when he suffered, threatened not, but committed himself to Him 
that judgeth righteously." — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 83. (See also 
§ 57, Manual, Lesson 3.) 

THE ADVICE OF GAMALIEL. 

§91. Gamaliel: His Position and Influence. [He is] described in 
Acts 5 : 34 as "a Pharisee, a doctor of the Law, had in honour with all the 
people." This description exactly corresponds with that given in the Mishna of 
Rabban Gamaliel L, who died about a.d. 57, and was at the height of his influ- 
ence at the time of the trial described in Acts 5. He belonged to the milder 
and more liberal school of Hillel, whose grandson he is said to have been. . . . 
He was the teacher of St. Paul. . . . He is described as president of the Sanhe- 
drin, but this is probably a late and untrustworthy tradition . . . ; in the narra- 
tive of Acts 5 he appears as an ordinary member, though having great weight. 
. . . His discourse in Acts 5 : 35-39 seems to regard the question of " this 
counsel " being from men or from God, as an open one, without betraying a lean- 
ing to one side or the other. Still the syntactical connexion of "let them alone," 
with the words " lest haply ye be found fighting against God," may be held to 
show an inclination to the Christian side, which is not inconsistent with the 
probable attitude of the Pharisees at this period as contrasted with the active 
persecuting zeal of the Sadducees. — Bernard: In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., 
Art., " Gamaliel," p. 11 22. 

§ 92. Gamaliel's Advice Respecting the Apostles. The Pharisees 
[were] . . . now to all appearance in the minority, at least among the rulers of 
the Sanhedrim. The Sadducees were determined to crush the apostles, expressly 
because they taught in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Gamaliel might agree 
with them in thinking our Lord an impostor; he might join more fervently than 
they did in the denunciation of Him as a blasphemer; but he might reflect that 
if he allowed the other party to put down the disciples of Jesus on this ground, 
they would afterwards boast that they had condemned the doctrine of a resurrec- 
tion, as the Pharisees professed it. The people would not draw nice distinctions; 
they would say that the Jewish Sanhedrim had been entirely converted to the 



Library Extracts on Lesso?i j. 29 

belief of the Sadducees. . . . Neither the words of- Gamaliel nor the few facts 
which we know of him permit us to offer a much higher explanation of his con- 
duct than this. Saul of Tarsus, who was brought up at his feet, who had learned 
his lessons, and belonged to his sect, cannot have understood him to mean that 
the persecution of the Nazarenes was in itself unlawful or unwise. — Maurice : 
Acts, pp. 61, 62. 

§ 93. Gamaliel's Advice not a Universal Principle of Action. In such 
a state of indecision, and in the case of a phenomenon as yet altogether experi- 
mental, Gamaliel's counsel must certainly be regarded as wise. But, absolutely 
considered, it is by no means safe. For, in the first place, the long continuance 
of a system is no criterion at all of its divinity. Look, for instance, at Heathen- 
ism and Mohammedanism. And then, his principle, consistently carried out in 
every case, would put an end to all punishment, and introduce perfect indifference 
in place of the earnestness of the law. As soon as a man ascertains the nature 
of a cause, he must either decidedly approve and actively support it, or condemn 
it and seek to counteract its influence. We say this against a thoughtless over- 
valuation of Gamaliel's advice, which many treat as an oracle, and as a part of 
the word of God himself. — Schaff : Apostolic Church, p. 210, note. 

§ 94. The Insurrections of Judas and Theudas. The two historical 
events to which Gamaliel appeals, are connected with the Galilean Judas and 
with Theudas. . . . This Judas . . . instigated the people to rebel, at the time 
when Augustus directed Quirinius to take the census ... ; he represented this 
measure as the means by which a yoke was to be put upon the people. . . . Luke 
informs us that Judas himself perished, while Josephus records the death of his 
two sons; the two statements are complementary to one another. And the 
remark of Josephus that the band of Judas afterwards re-appeared during the 
Jewish war, may be easily reconciled with the text before us, which simply men- 
tions the dispersion, but not the entire extinction of that band. . . . 

The general facts which Josephus relates concerning a certain Theudas, per- 
fectly agree with those recorded by Luke, but the chronological data are totally 
different. ... I. Theudas incited the people to revolt, and found numerous 
adherents; 2. He professed to be a person of special importance; for instance, 
he styled himself a prophet, and promised to divide the waters of the Jordan by 
his word; 3. He was slain and his party became extinct. . . . According to 
Luke, the insurrection of Judas was posterior to that of Theudas, and the latter 
\\as, of course, anterior to the delivery of this address. ... It is, therefore, 
usually assumed that the Theudas of Luke was a different person from the one 
who bears the same name in Josephus . . . [or it is] an erroneous chronological 
statement attributed by Luke to Gamaliel. — Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, 
Acts, p. 98. 

THE APOSTLES BEATEN AND SET FREE. 

§ 95. The Apostles Scourged by the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin would 
at least not expose themselves, as if they had instituted an examination wholly 
without result, and therefore they order the punishment of stripes, usual for very 
various kinds of crime — here, proved disobedience — but very ignominious. — 
Meyer : Commentary, Acts, p. 119. 

§ 96. The Jewish Mode of Scourging. A Jewish disciplinary flogging, 
when forty stripes save one were inflicted, was so severe that death sometimes 
resulted from it. St. Paul, as he tells us in 2 Cor. 1 1 : 24, was five times flogged 
by the Jews. When the Jews inflicted this punishment the culprit was tied to a 
pillar in the synagogue ; the executioner, armed with a scourge of three distinct 



30 The Bible Study Manual. 

lashes, inflicted the punishment; while an official standing by read selected por- 
tions of the law between each stroke. Thirteen strokes of the threefold scourge 
was equivalent to the thirty-nine stripes. This was the flogging suffered on this 
occasion. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, p. 244, and footnote. 

§ 97. Suffering for " The Name." Not his name, but the name. The 

definite article attached, indicates it as the only name, the one above every other 
name, as the Scriptures are the writings, and the Bible is the book. Observe the 
contrast, counted worthy to suffer shame. ..." This influence of the holy name, 
which could transmute shame and suffering endured for its sake, into honor and 
rejoicing, greatly transcends all that the name of Jehovah (in the O. T.) had ever 
accomplished. Here, therefore, we have actual demonstration that the name of 
Jesus is the name." — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 74$. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 98. Power or Capacity Implies Obligation. As the power to work 
miracles was given to the Apostles that they might thereby benefit men and glorify 
God, so all power, whether of money, social rank, intellect, or moial influence is 
given,' not that we may use it for our own selfish ends, but for the good of others. 
From each to all according to his ability to give, not from all to each according 
to his ability to get, is the Christian principle. 

§ 99. Source of Moral Power. The Apostles knew that they were right, 
and that God was on their side; hence they dared to resist the highest Jewish 
authority, indifferent to what became of themselves, but sublimely confident of 
his triumph for whose Name they suffered. " One, with God, is a majority." 

§ 100. The Effect of Moral Cowardice. One of the greatest hindrances 
to Christian work in the world is the fear of what people will say about it. 
Enthusiasm, especially in a good cause, is not fashionable. Our best impulses 
are oftentimes stifled by the shrug of other people's shoulders. 

§ 101. Obeying God Rather than Men. It is never right for a man to act 

contrary to his conscience. But at the same time it behooves him to discriminate 
sharply between the voice of conscience, and his own obstinacy, or self-will, or 
that something in him which says, " I won't." Man's only safe and imperative 
guide is a conscience thoroughly enlightened by the word of God. 

§ 102. Resisting Established Government. A government that fails to 
subserve the good purposes for which government is established, that becomes a 
terror to the law-abiding and a protection to the lawless, should be resisted and 
reformed; if it cannot be reformed, it should be crushed. The right of revolu- 
tion is based on the duty of government to subserve the best interests of the 
people. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The First Persecution a Type of all Later Persecutions: Schaff, 
History of the Apostolic Church, p. 209. 2. The Sanhedrin Now Afraid of 
Jesus : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 60, 61. 3. Gamaliel's Advice 
Prudent, but not the Best: Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 243, 244. 
4. Gamaliel's Advice Practically Identical with a Saying of Christ: 
Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp.61, 62. 5. The Beating OF THE Apostles 
Inconsistent With Gamaliel's Advice: stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 
344, 345. 6. Gamaliel's Historical Allusions no Ground for Discredit- 
ing the Accuracy of Luke's Narrative: Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, 
pp. 63, 64. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 6. 31 

Lesson 6. —THE STONING OF STEPHEN. The Choice of the Seven, 
and the Eirst Christian Martyr. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 103. Design of the Lesson. To show how certain abuses crept in along 
with the community of goods in Jerusalem; how these abuses were corrected by 
the appointment of seven men of good report to oversee this business; and how 
Stephen, the chief of the Seven, by preaching enlarged views of Christianity, 
became the first Christian martyr. 

§104. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note that the commu- 
nity of goods in Jerusalem, though presenting an ideal social condition, presented 
also various almost irresistible temptations to abuse it. An instance of this 
in one direction has already been seen in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. 
Another instance of this in another direction and on a more general scale, occurred 
in the unfair discriminations against the widows of the Hellenists. The ideal 
social condition enn never become the real one, until the Spirit of Christ has 
taken full possession of all hearts and is the absolutely controlling power in 
society. 

(2) Note again, that this trouble, which for a time disturbed the peace of the 
church, was happily removed by the appointment of seven men, a large part, if 
not all, of whom were Hellenists, who relieved the apostles of care and responsi- 
bility in this matter; and, that while these men are not called " deacons " in the 
text, yet it is probable that their office afterwards suggested the office of " deacon" 
in the church. 

(3) Speak of the fact that Stephen was undoubtedly a Hellenist, and as such 
likely to be more hospitable toward new and enlarged conceptions of Christianity 
than those who had experienced only the narrow and exclusive training of the 
Palestinian Jews. New truth, however, always encounters opposition. Accord- 
ingly, it was not long before Stephen found himself in the power of unscrupulous 
enemies anxious to crush both the preacher and his truth. 

(4) Point out how Stephen, confident that he could expect no justice from 
his judges, proves in his address that their rejection of the truth which he pro- 
claimed was only in accordance with the past history of their nation, which from 
the first had set itself in deadly opposition to every new revelation from God, and 
had at length crowned its hostility to all his messengers by crucifying its Messiah. 

(5) Note in closing the character of Stephen, as seen in his openness to the 
truth, his courage in proclaiming his convictions, his appearance before the 
council, his vision of heaven, and his Christ-like spirit at his death. Few are the 
men of the New Testament, even, with a nobler record than his. 



32 The Bible Study Manual. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SEVEN. 

§ 105. The Contempt of the Palestinian Jews for the Hellenists. There 
were many Jews outside of Palestine who had taken much of the Greek culture, 
and were consequently called Hellenists. They were, however, despised by the 
Jews in Palestine, because they lived outside the Holy Land. For according to 
their conception, all foreign lands were unclean and all those who lived in them 
were necessarily contaminated and were as far as possible to be shunned. — 
Thatcher: Apostolic Church, p. 81. 

§ 106. The Cause of the First Dissension in the Church. It was this 
religious pride of the Palestinian members of the church that first disturbed its 
peace. The widows of the Hellenists, that is, of these Greek Jews, were slighted 
in the distribution of the alms. Those that had charge of the funds were not 
impartial in their treatment of the poor members who needed help. The other 
poor were cared for, but the poor widows who had been so unfortunate as to have 
lived in an unclean land were despised and neglected. We do not know who had 
been attending to this work, but their conduct was an offense against the princi- 
ples of brotherhood and equality which had been at first received with such joy 
and enthusiasm. The line between Hellenists and Palestinian Jews had seemed 
to be effaced, but this injustice and partiality at once awakened the old feelings, 
the party lines were quickly drawn again, and the Hellenists stood on one side 
and the Palestinian Jews on the other. As they could not settle the difficulty, 
they appealed to the apostles. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 81, 82. 

§ 107. The Appointment of the Seven. The Apostles meet the crisis with 
singular tact and moderation. They do not resent the suspicion; they are not 
careful to vindicate themselves against it. They remembered, it may be, the 
precedent presented by the life of Moses, and they act, as he had acted, by dele- 
gating part of their authority to others. . . . The number may have had its origin in 
the general reverence for the number Seven among the Jews. . . . It is to be noted 
that the men thus appointed are never- called " deacons " in the New Testament. 
When they are referred to again it is as " the Seven," as though they were a dis- 
tinct and peculiar body. Their functions were, of course, in some degree, analo- 
gous to those of the " deacons " of the Pastoral Epistles and the later organiza- 
tion of the Church; but these, as we have seen, had their prototypes in the 
"young men," as contrasted with "elders," in ch. 5:6, 10. — Plumptre : In 
Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 96^-98^. 

STEPHEN'S MINISTRY AND ARREST. 

§ 108. Jewish Synagogues in Jerusalem. According to the Rabbinical 
books there were upwards of four hundred and fifty synagogues in Jerusalem 
[this is not surprising, since, according to the Rabbis, ten men were sufficient to 
form a synagogue] ; Jews of different dialects and provinces naturally worshipped 
together, and the synagogues naturally took their names from the nationality of 
the congregations. Whether here five synagogues are intended, or one or two, 
which embraced the worshippers of the different districts, is uncertain. In the 
synagogue service it was generally permitted to the leaders of any new school to 
set forth their opinions. Hence Stephen's preaching in the synagogue, which 
aroused the oppposition of the Pharisees. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 79^. 

§ 109. The Exclusiveness of Judaism. [In the eyes of the Palesthrnn 
Jews] three things were especially holy: the land, the law and the temple. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 6. 33 

Palestine was holy, while every other land was unclean. No one could live out- 
side of Palestine and serve God. They believed that God loved Palestine, but 
every other country was an abomination in his sight. As to the law, they had 
made an idol of it. It was holy in and of itself. It was the last and highest 
expression of God's holy will. . . . Since the worship of God by sacrifice had 
been forbidden in every other part of Palestine, the temple had increased in 
importance, and it is scarcely necessary to speak of the idolatrous veneration with 
which the Jews regarded it. These three things had an innate holiness, they were 
to endure forever. For when the Messiah should come, Palestine was to enjoy 
his favor and presence, while the rest of the world was to be subjected and ruled 
with a rod of iron. . . . They thought that religion could not exist in any other 
form than in that of Judaism. — 77/aUher : Apostolic Church, pp. 82, 83. 

§ no. Stephen the First to Understand the True Nature of Christianity. 
It is a fact worth noting, because characteristic of the period, that not one of the 
Twelve, but a Hellenist, was the first to discover that Christ's teachings made an 
end of Judaism. All had supposed that Christianity was but the completion 
of Judaism, not its supplanter. Stephen was the first to understand the true 
character of Christianity. . . . He perceived that Christ had shown that re- 
ligion was a matter of the heart; that he had freed religion from every external, 
and thereby had made of it a universal religion. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, 
PP- 83, 84. 

§111. Stephen's Views Influenced by his Hellenistic Culture. When 
Christ spoke to his apostles of certain things which they could not yet compre- 
hend, but which must be first revealed to them by the Floly Spirit, he, no doubt, 
referred to the nature of that worship of God which is not necessarily confined 
to time or place, or to any kind whatever of outward observances — the worship 
in spirit and in truth, with which the abolition of the Mosaic ceremonial law . . . , 
and the union of all nations in one spiritual worship and one faith, were closely 
connected. . . . The Hellenistic Stephen needed not to attain this mental free- 
dom . . . , for he was already, by his early development in Hellenistic culture, 
more free from these fetters; he was not so much entangled in Jewish nationality; 
and hence his faith could in this respect be more readily developed into Chris- 
tian knowledge. — Neander : Planting and Training, p. 48. 

§112. The Conflict between Christianity and Judaism Begun through 
Stephen's Preaching. [Stephen] had apprehended the spiritual character of 
the Gospel better than the apostles themselves, and surrendered himself with 
absolute faith to the new principle. He soon found himself in the forefront of 
the struggle that was beginning against Judaism, carried onwards by the boldness 
of his views quite as much as by his zeal. To this struggle his intervention gave 
a new turn. The apostles had remained on the defensive in their preaching of 
Jesus; Stephen broke through this reserve and boldly assumed the offensive. In 
his public discussions he laid bare the materialistic principle of Pharisaic piety; 
he pointed out with u/isparing plainness the secret cause of that invincible obsti- 
nacy with which the Jews had always resisted the word of God. His denuncia- 
tions of their religious formalism recalled sometimes those accents of the Master 
which used to excite the Pharisees to fury. This fury again awoke. The capital 
charge brought against Jesus was renewed against Stephen; false witnesses again 
repeated the accusation, " We have heard this man speak against the holy place 
and against the law. We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will 
destroy the temple, and change the customs that Moses gave us." — Sabatier : 
Apostle Paul, pp. 40, 41. 



34 The Bible Study Manual. 

STEPHEN'S ADDRESS BEFORE THE SANHEDKIN. 

§ 113. Analysis of Stephen's Address. Stephen's discourse is the comple- 
ment and development of the parable of the Vineyard. The orator" was obliged 
to throw his speech into this historical form. By doing so he gave the rage of 
his opponents time to subside, and meanwhile secured the means of showing 
clearly the true cause of their hatred. The great epochs in the history of the 
Jewish people furnish the main divisions of his discourse. 

The first extends from Abraham to Moses. The nation did not exist as yet; 
but before its birth it was the object of Divine favour; for to it, in truth, the 
promises given to the patriarchs were made. 

The second epoch lies between Moses and David. In referring to the first 
period, the orator has extolled the goodness of God; in describing the second, he 
endeavours to depict with equal force the ingratitude and carnal disposition of the 
people. This period becomes typical. In Moses the deliverer, Stephen enables 
us to recognise the image of a far greater Deliverer. His unworthy reception, the 
opposition he met with and the incredulity with which his word was received, are 
set forth in such terms that the history of Moses, by an easy transition, becomes 
the history of Jesus acted out beforehand. 

The third period comprises the times of David and Solomon. Stephen breaks 
off at the building of the temple. . . . He sees in it a distinct fulfilment of God's 
original promise made to Abraham : " They shall worship Me in this place." . . . 
In vain the nation displayed its ingratitude. God remained faithful, and the 
temple was built. . . . The very temple where God should have been worshipped 
in spirit and in truth, became the centre and support of a bigoted and hypocriti- 
cal piety. Instead of revealing to all mankind the one universal God, who made 
heaven and earth, it only served to limit and conceal the majesty of Jehovah. . . . 

Thus had Stephen advanced slowly, but always in a straight line, to meet the 
charge laid against him. He now confronts and grapples with it directly and 
without hesitation. His answer is deduced from this prolonged narrative with 
overwhelming effect. ... Is it surprising that the people to-day show no more 
intelligence, no better disposition than they had done with regard to Moses, or 
the prophets, or Jesus? . . . They killed those who foretold the coming of the 
Righteous One; and when this Righteous One appeared, you became His 
betrayers and murderers ! ... In other words, You are just like your fathers: At 
this point the position appears to be changed; the accused has become judge of 
his accusers. But at the same time he has anticipated, in his reading of the 
history of the past, the fate which awaits himself and the sentence about to fall 
upon him. — Sabatier : Apostle Paul, pp. 42-45. 

§ 114. Stephen's Denunciation of the Jewish People. Stephen, in 
truth, did not for one moment deceive himself. He knew his adversaries well. 
He has no hope of either convincing or softening them. This sense of the inev- 
itable is manifest from the first. He does not merely point out a few passing 
errors or accidental failings; his object was to denounce a congenital vice, inher- 
ent in the very character of his people and persisting through their entire history, 
— a carnal disposition, insensible alike to chastisement and grace, and which had 
borne the same fruit in every age. . . . 

This was a radical condemnation of Judaism, such as the Pharisees had not 
heard since the days of Jesus. Stephen only discloses this view by degrees. At 
first, he keeps it back and holds his audience in suspense; but as he goes on, his 
purpose grows clearer, and at each new stage of the history he expresses himself 
more pointedly and plainly. His hearers begin to murmur and grow excited; 
Stephen in slow and unrelenting tones unfolds before them this humiliating 



Library Extracts on Lesson 6. 35 

history, in which all the time they could recognise their own likeness. When at 
last he had finished, and when, as he perceives, caution could no longer serve 
him, he launches forth his whole meaning in the apostrophe, "Ye stiff-necked 
and uncircumcised," etc. Then the rage of his adversaries bursts out in turn, and 
gnashing their teeth they rush upon him. But they interrupted him too late. 
Stephen has spoken. He yields himself to their fury; and his martyrdom 
completes his discourse. — Sabatier : Apostle Paul, p. 45. 

§115. Historical Inaccuracies in Stephen's Address. (1) Their Nature. 
— [ (a) vs. 14. J Threescore and fifteen souls. Tins number [75] is taken from 
the LXX [the Septuagint]. In the Hebrew the number is but seventy including 
Jacob himself. . . . There were many traditions current which probably were 
well known to the translators of the LXX., and gave rise to their number. . . . 
Stephen, as was to be expected from the other quotations in this book, and also 
because he was a Grecian Jew, follows the LXX. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, 
Acts, pp. 82, 83. 

[ (b) vss. 15, 16.] Here there occur several grave errors. Jacob was not carried 
over and buried at Sychem at all, but at the cave of Machpelah, as is plainly 
stated in Gen. I : 13. Again, a plot of ground at Sychem was certainly bought, 
not by Abraham, however, but by Jacob. Abraham bought the field and cave of 
Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite. Jacob bought his plot at Sychem from the 
sons of Emmor. There are in these verses, then, two serious historical mistakes; 
first as to the true burial-place of Jacob, and then as to the purchaser of the plot 
of ground at Sychem. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, p. 310. 

[ (<r) vs. 43.] Stephen substitutes Babylon for Damascus in the original 
prophecy; perhaps, as Alford and Hackett suggest, because the Babylonian 
captivity was the one most memorable in the Jewish annals. — Abbott : Commen- 
tary, Acts, p. cjOtf. 

(2) They Confirm the Narrative. — A man might easily make any of these 
slips ... in the heat of an oration, and they might have even passed unnoticed, 
as every speaker who has much practice in addressing the public still makes 
precisely the same kind of mistake. But a romancer, sitting down to forge 
speeches suitable to the time and place, would never have put into the mouth of 
his lay figures grave errors about the most elementary facts of Jewish history. . . . 
The inaccuracies reported as made by St. Stephen are evidences of the genuine 
character of the oration attributed to him. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, pp. 311, 312. 

(3) They are to be Honestly Recognized. — The fact of the mistake occurring 
where it does, will be far more instructive to the Christian student thnn the most 
ingenious solution of the difficulty could be, if it teaches him fearlessly and 
honestly to recognize the phenomena presented by the text of Scripture, instead 
of wresting them to suit a preconceived theory. — Alford: Greek Testament, 
Acts, vol. ii, p. 72^. 

STEPHEN'S VISION AND MARTYRDOM. 

§ 116. The Vision of Stephen. (1) In so far as the vision of Stephen was 
supernatural, it was not necessary that the material heavens should have been 
visible to him; but . . . it would seem that they were. . . . Stephen under 
accusation of blaspheming the earthly te?nple, is granted a sight of the heavenly 
temple; being cited before the Sadducee High Priest who believed neither angel 
nor spirit, he is vouchsafed a vision of the heavenly High Priest, standing and 
ministering at the throne amidst the angels and just men made perfect. — Alford : 
Greek Testament, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 8i/>, 82. 

(2) It is manifest that the vision was given to the inward spiritual eye, and not 
to that of sense. No priest or scribe saw the glory of the opened heavens, and, 



36 The Bible Study Manual. 

therefore, the words which declared that Stephen saw them seemed to them but 
an aggravation of guilt that was already deep. — Plu?7iptre : In Handy Commen- 
tary, Acts, p. I24<7. 

§ 117. The Effect of Stephen's Words about his Vision. But those high 
words were too much for the feelings of his audience. Stopping their ears as 
though to shut out a polluting blasphemy, they rose in a mass from both sides of 
the semi-circular range in which they sat, and with one wild yell rushed upon 
Stephen. There was no question any longer of a legal decision. In their rage 
they took the law into their own hands, and then and there dragged him off to be 
stoned outside the city gate. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 93. 

§ 118. The Death of Stephen. It was almost in the words of his Master 
that when the horrid butchery began — for the precautions to render death speedy 
seem to have been neglected in the blind rage of his murderers — he exclaimed, 
" Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And when bruised and bleeding he was just able 
to drag himself to his knees it was again in the spirit of that Lord that he prayed 
for his murderers, and even the cry of his anguish rang forth in the forgiving 
utterance — showing how little malice there had been in the stern words he had 
used before — "Lord, lay not to their charge this sin." With that cry he passed 
from the wrath of men to the peace of God. The historian ends the bloody 
tragedy with one weighty and beautiful word, "He fell asleep." — Farrar: St. 
Paul, p. 94. 

§119. The First Mention of Saul. To fulfil their dreadful task, the wit- 
nesses had taken off their garments; and they laid them " at the feet of a young 
man whose name was Saul." 

It is the first allusion in history to a name, destined from that day forward to be 
memorable for ever in the annals of the world. And how sad an allusion! He 
stands, not indeed actively engaged in the work of death; but keeping the 
clothes, consenting to the violence, of those who, in this brutal manner, dimmed 
in blood the light upon a face which had been radiant as that of an angel with 
faith and love. . . . Stephen sank in his blood, but his place was taken by the 
young man who stood there to incite his murderers. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 
94, 95- 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 120. Social Harmony Conditioned on the Supremacy of Love. So 
long as love reigned supreme in all hearts in the Church at Jerusalem, troubles 
from within were absent. Until love has dominated all members of society, self- 
ishness in one form or another will inevitably show its disturbing and disinte- 
grating power. 

§ 121. People See what they are Prepared to See. This holds in respect 
to every department of thought or activity, whether in literature, art, music, 
science, morals, or religion. Something in the life of Stephen had prepared him 
to perceive the larger relations of Christianity. When the revelation came he 
grasped at once its force and value. Truth comes to him who patiently seeks for 
it, and who is ready to welcome it in whatever form it comes. 

§ 122. Prejudices are Dangerous Enemies to Truth. Those who mur- 
dered Stephen were swayed by their prejudices. Those who lay claim to religion 
are sometimes as much domineered by their prejudices as irreligious men are by 
their vices. The devil knows no surer way of blinding a good man to the truth, 
than by clapping a strong prejudice over each eye. 



Editoi'ial Notes on Lesson y. 37 

§ 123. Truth More than Life. Stephen might have kept quiet, and he would 
not have been hurt. But Stephen's soul had been bathed in the light of divine 
truth, he knew that truth is from God, and that a life saved by the cowardly sup- 
pression of truth is not worth living. A life so saved is a life already lost; 
whereas a life deliberately and joyfully surrendered for the sake of truth is a life 
gained forever. 

§ 124. The Face of an Angel. Stephen's face shone because his heart was 
right toward God. Faces show character. The only way to have a face like an 
angel is to be like angels in spirit. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. THE New TESTAMENT Office of " Deacon": Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., 
Art., " Deacon." 2. The Reserve of Jesus Touching the Relation of the 
Law to the Gospel: Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, p. 81. 3. The Furious 
Controversies Started by Stephen's Preaching: Ibid., pp. 83-86. 4. The 
Value and Pertinency of Stephen's Speech: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 
139. 5. The Authentic Reproduction of Stephen's Speech: Ibid., p. 135 f. 
6. " The Face of an Angel" : Ibid., Amer. Ed., pp. 131, 132. 7. The Year of 
Stephen's Death: Stokes: Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, p. 248. 8. Stephen the 
Forerunner of Paul: Conybeare a?id Howson : Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. 
i, pp. 71, 72. 



Lesson 7. -A GREAT PERSECUTION IN JERUSALEM, AND ITS 

IMMEDIATE RESULTS. The Gospel Carried to Samaria, 

and the Ethiopian Eunuch Converted. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 125. Design of the Lesson. To show how the persecution that was 
intended to destroy the church was divinely overruled to the greater extension of 
the gospel. 

§ 126. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Begin by drawing atten- 
tion to the main characteristic of the history in Part I — the work of the church 
while it confined itself to Jerusalem; with this, contrast the characteristics of 
Part II as presented in Note 10 Progressive grade, Note. 28 Intermediate grade, 
and emphasize the fact that we are now entering upon a new stage in the history. 

(2) Show why the authorities at Jerusalem had up to this time tolerated the 
believers, although they had failed to stop their preaching by threats or by beat- 
ings; and why, through the ministry of Stephen, they were led into such a sudden 
and violent change of attitude toward the church. 

(3) Note the fact that, while many of the disciples in addition to their bodily 
sufferings in the persecution probably lost their possessions, none of them seem 
to have lost their faith; but wherever they went they carried with them and 
sought to impart to others that confidence in Jesus as the Messiah, which strength- 
ened them in their trials and comforted them in their sorrows. 

(4) Remember that this wider diffusion of the gospel was the divine purpose of 



38 The Bible Study Manual. 

their persecution. Of this, however, the disciples were ignorant, and must have 
regarded this visitation as only evil, except, perhaps, as they had faith in God's 
power to bring good out of even the direst calamity. 

(5) Recall the fact that Philip's success in Samaria had been prepared for in 
the brief ministry of our Lord himself; but that, as the personal mission of Jesus 
concerned first of all the " lost sheep of the house of Israel," he did not permit 
himself to continue his work in this fruitful field, but left the harvest for others to 
reap. 

(6) Note that while we hear nothing of the Ethiopian eunuch after his con- 
version, yet we can hardly doubt that on his return to his own land he became a 
center for the spread of the gospel which he had so joyously received. A tradi- 
tion attributes to him the origin of the Abyssinian church. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
THE CHURCH SCATTERED BY PERSECUTION. 

§ 127. The Suddenness and Violence of the Attack. On the very day of 
the murder of Stephen, a fierce persecution began against the church. Probably 
the mob may have hastened from the scene of outrage and violence to the assem- 
blies of the believers, in order to disperse them. This violent, sudden outbreak 
against those who, until now, had been not only tolerated, but apparently- 
approved, arose doubtless from the fact that Stephen, who was a Greek, had not 
only preached Jesus, but had declared that the city and temple would be 
destroyed, and the gospel preached to all nations. The Pharisees, hitherto 
neutral, now made common cause with their rivals, the badducees, against the 
sect. The prudent cautions of Gamaliel were ignored; the agents of the civil 
government interfered not for the protection of the Christians, and the wild fury 
of fanatical bigotry, maddened by blood, rushed upon the defenceless witnesses 
for the truth, and scattered them. Thus by the violence of the enemies of Christ 
his followers were compelled to carry out his purpose intimated in Acts 1 : 8. 
The dispersion must have been very general, though not absolutely universal, as 
some, besides the apostles, must have remained, since Saul immediately afterward 
began to seize and imprison both men and women. — Or?fiiston : In Meyer's 
Commentary, Acts, p. 17S. 

§ 128. Reasons Why the Apostles Were Allowed to Remain in Jeru- 
salem. The sequel of the history suggests two reasons for their remaining. 
(1) The Twelve had learnt the lesson which their Master had taught them, "that 
the hireling fleeth because he is an hireling," and would not desert their post. A 
tradition is recorded by Clement of Alexandria and Eusebius, that the Lord had 
commanded the Apostles to remain for twelve years in Jerusalem lest any should 
say " We have not heard," and after that date to go forth into the world. 

(2) The persecution which was now raging seems to have been directed 
specially against those who taught, with Stephen, that the " customs " on which 
the Pharisees laid so much stress should pass away. The Apostles had not as yet 
proclaimed that truth; had, perhaps, not as yet been led to it. They were con- 
spicuous as worshippers in the Temple, kept themselves from all that was common 
and unclean, held aloof from fellowship with the Gentiles. They may well have 
been protected by the favour and reverence with which the great body of the 



Library Extracts on Lesson 7. 39 

people still looked on them, and so have been less exposed than the Seven had 
been to the violence of the storm. It was probable, in the nature of the case, 
that the Hellenistic disciples, who had been represented by Stephen, should suffer 
more than others. It was from them that the next great step in the expansion of 
the Church in due course came. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, 
p. 128. 

THE GOSPEL CARRIED TO SAMARIA BY PHIEIP. 

§ 129. The Samaritans. Philip's Preaching to them an Important 
Advance in the Cause of Christ. The Samaritans, indeed, possessed the 
Mosaic law and rested in Judaism, were worshippers of Jehovah, and practised 
circumcision, but they recognised no book of the Old Testament as sacred except 
the Pentateuch. The sanctuary of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim formed the 
chief offence to the Jews. The temple at that place had already been destroyed 
by John Hvrcanus 125 years before Christ. But the summit of the mountain was 
for the Samaritans of that day the sacred place of the worship of God, and is 
still considered so by their posterity. The Jews felt this to be presumptuous 
rivalry with their temple at Jerusalem, which, as they alleged, was the only lawful 
one. In addition to this they were a mixed race, and were regarded by the strict 
feus as unclean, and not much better than the heathen, in which respect the 
Jews were not so far wrong. It is at least a fact that the Samaritans at various 
times, yielded to the political situation, denied their relationship with the Jews, 
and gave themselves out as Sidonians and such like. It is just when we take into 
account the well-known disposition of the Jews towards the Samaritans, that the 
preaching of Philip in Samaria, together with its result, appears as a decisive and 
important advance in the cause of Christ. — Lechler : Apostolic Times, vol. i, 
pp. 114, 115. 

§130. Magianism. (1) Its Origin and Principle. — The Magian system 
was called the system of light about seven centuries before Christ. A great 
reformer (Zoroaster) had appeared, who either restored the system to its purity, 
or created out of it a new system. He said that light is eternal — that the Lord 
of the universe is light; but because there was an eternal light, there was also an 
eternal possibility of the absence of light. Light and darkness, therefore, were 
the eternal principles of the universe — not equal principles, but one the negation 
of the other. He taught that the soul of man needs light — a light external to 
itself as well as in itself. . . . There is a capacity in the soul for light; but it is 
not itself light; it needs the Everlasting light from outside itself. Hence the 
stars became worshipped as the symbols of this light. But by degrees these stars 
began to stand in the place of the light Himself. This was the state of things in 
the clays of the Magians [or "wise men" who came to worship Christ]. 

(2) Its Relation to Simon, the Sorcerer. — Magianism was now [shortly before 
the birth of Christ] midway between its glory and its decline. For its glory we 
must go back to the days of Daniel, when, a monarch felt it his privilege to do 
honor to the priest of Light . . . when the law given by the Magian, revealed by 
the eternal stars, was " the law of the Medcs and Persians which altereth not." 
For its lowest degradation we must pass over about half a century from the time 
[of the wise men who came to Beth-lehem] . . . till we find ourselves in 
Samaria, in the presence of Simon the Magian. He gave himself out for the 
great power of God. He prostituted such powers and knowledge as he possessed 
to the object of making gain. Half dupe, half impostor, in him the noble 
system of Light had sunk to petty charlatanism : Magianism had degenerated 
into Magic. — Robertson : Sermons, Second Series, No. 1, pp. 253, 254. 



40 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 131. Simon, the Sorcerer. The preaching of the pure gospel of Jesus 
Christ, and the exercise of true miraculous power, converted the Samaritans, and 
were sufficient to work intellectual conviction even in the case of the Magician. 
. . . [Many of] the Samaritans, Simon included, believed and were baptized. 
This is the introduction upon the stage of history of Simon Magus, whom the 
earliest Church writers, . . . describe as the first of those gnostic heretics who 
did so much in the second and third centuries to corrupt the gospel both in faith 
and practice. The writings of the second and third centuries are full of the 
achievements and evil deeds of this man Simon. . . . All Christian writers agree 
in setting forth that after the reproof which, as we shall see, Simon Peter the 
Apostle bestowed upon the magician, he became a determined opponent of the 
Apostles, especially of St. Peter, whose work he endeavoured everywhere to 
oppose and defeat. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, pp. 355, 356. 

THE VISIT OF PETER AND JOHN TO SAMARIA. 

§ 132. Race Antipathies Removed through the Gospel. The tidings 
came to the Twelve as a proof that the limitation which had at first excluded 
Samaria from the range of their work as preachers of the kingdom had now 
passed away, and that the time had now come when they were to be " witnesses" 
to Christ in Samaria as well as in Judaea. Old antipathies of race and worship 
disappeared, and without hesitation they sent the two who were, in many respects, 
the chief of the Apostles, to sanction the admission of the new converts. The 
Apostle who in his zeal had once sought to call down the fire of the wrath of God 
on the village of the Samaritans, was now to bring to them that baptism of the 
Holy Ghost and of fire which spoke not of wrath but of love. That his com- 
panion should be Peter, was natural, both from the position which the latter 
occupied as the leader of the' apostolic company and from the friendship by which 
the two had been throughout their life united. — Plumptre : In Handy Com- 
mentary, Acts, p. 134a:. 

§ 133. The Gift of the Holy Ghost. How could the Samaritans be con- 
verted and baptized without the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit? The 
answer is that this phrase is never used in the N. T. of that gift of the Holy 
Ghost which is promised to all on condition of repentance and baptism in the 
name of Jesus Christ, and which is the indispensable condition of entering into 
the kingdom of God. It always signifies the fulfillment, in a special manner, of 
Christ's promise to the Twelve, -Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost 
is come upon you, and always an impartation of such a special presence of the 
Holy Ghost as is accompanied with supernatural gifts. Here the clear implica- 
tion of vs. 18 is that the gift of the Holy Ghost described was accompanied by 
phenomena that were visible to a purely worldly and selfish nature like that of 
Simon; in ch. 10 : 44-46, the bestowal of the Holy Ghost was accompanied by 
speaking with tongues; in ch. II: 15, Peter characterizes it as a peculiar gift. 
. . . The declaration, then, is not that the Samaritans had not been spiritually 
quickened by the presence and power of the Spirit of God, but that no miraculous 
power had been imparted to them, manifested in visible signs. — Abbott: Com- 
mentary, Acts, p. 98. 

§ 134. Simon's Request and Peter's Rebuke. The character of the man 
is shown by what he asks for. He does not desire the Holy Ghost for himself as 
a spiritual gift to seal his baptism, but that he may be able to bestow, what he 
looks upon as a higher power than his own magic, upon others. We can learn 
from this narrative that the gift of the Holy Ghost has been made apparent by 



Library Extracts on Lesson 7. 4 1 

the new powers conferred on those who received it. Their works and words 
Simon had seen and heard, and hence his application to the Apostles. . . . 

It is clear from what follows that this terrible invocation of doom upon this 
offender is to he qualified by the condition supplied from vs. 22, where repentance 
and prayer are pointed out as means whereby even so great a sinner may find 
forgiveness. And St. Peter may have thus joined Simon in the same destruction 
as his money, because he foresaw that there was little or no hope that such a man 
could be brought to repentance unless the consequence of his sin were set before 
him in all its terror. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 101. 

§ 135. Simon's Final Request. There is something eminently character- 
istic in the sorcerer's words. (1) His conscience reads " between the lines" of 
St. Peter's address what was not actually found there. That " if perhaps " is to 
him as the knell of doom. (2) He prays not for deliverance from " the bond of 
iniquity," but only from the vague terror of a future penalty. (3) He turns, not, 
as Peter had bidden him, to the Lord who was ready to forgive, but to a human 
mediator. Peter must pray for him who has not faith to pray for himself. — 
Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 137^. 

THE CONVERSION OF THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH. 

§136. Jewish Proselytes. (/) Worshipers and Proselytes, — To almost 
every one of the Jexvish communities of the dispersion there was attached a fol- 
lowing of "Godfearing" Gentiles who adopted the Jewish (/. e. the monothe- 
istic and imageless) mode of worship, attended the Jewish synagogues, but who, 
in the observance of the ceremonial law, restricted themselves to certain leading 
points, and so were regarded as outside the fellowship of the Jewish communities. 
It is God-fearing Gentiles of this description that are undoubtedly to be under- 
stood by those who " feared God" or " worshiped God," so often mentioned in 
Josephus, and above all in the Acts of the Apostles. . . . From these we must 
now distinguish the "strangers" or "proselytes," strictly so called. For with 
these latter expressions . . . Judaism meant to designate those Gentiles who, 
through circumcision and the observance of the law, became completely incor- 
porated with the Jewish people. — Schiirer : Jewish People, 2d Div., vol. ii, 
pp. 314, 315. 

(2) "Proselytes oj the Gate," and "Proselytes of Righteousness." — This distinc- 
tion was unknown until long after New Testament times. "Strangers" or 
"proselytes" who observed the whole law, were called by the later Rabbis 
"righteous strangers" or "proselytes of righteousness." It is commonly sup- 
posed that those who merely " feared God," like Cornelius (Acts 10:2), or who 
"worshiped God," like Titus Justus (Acts iS : 7), were identical with those whom 
the Rabbis afterwards called " proselytes of the gate," but this is not correct. 
They had nothing whatever to do with each other. The former denoted those 
who, as seen above (1), had renounced Paganism and had adopted the monothe- 
istic Jewish faith; the latter, the "proselytes of the gate," denoted Gentiles who 
had taken up a permanent abode in the land of Israel, without adopting the Jew- 
ish faith. The phrase " proselyte of the gate " corresponded exactly to the Old 
Testament designation " stranger," or "stranger within thy gates" (Fx. 20: 10; 
Deut. 14: 21; 24: 14). — Editor. (Compare Schiirer : Jewish People, 2d Div., 
vol. ii, pp. 316-319.) 

§ 137. The Ethiopian Eunuch. In its largest sense the term Ethiopia was 
applied to all the African bands south of Egypt; more definitely, it included the 
modern Nubia, Senaar, Kordofan, and part of Abyssinia. Its inhabitants were 
black in color and large in stature. Their land appears to have been one of 



42 The Bible Study Manual. 

wealth, and to have maintained some commercial relations with Palestine. The 
Hebrew equivalent for Ethopia is Cush, and by this name it is designated in 
Genesis. Some have supposed that this Ethiopian was a Jew who lived in 
Ethiopia; more probably he was a heathen converted to Judaism. That he was 
Jewish in his religious faith is evident from the fact that he came to Jerusalem to 
worship. . . . He must then have been a believer in the God of Israel, and pre- 
sumptively a proselyte, who had publicly accepted the Hebrew religion. His 
journey, his study of Scripture, and his readiness to receive the Gospel, all indi- 
cate a man of genuine religious spirit and purpose. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, 

pp. \Olb, I02. 

§138. Queen Candace : Her Mention here an Illustration of the 
Accuracy of the Narrative. The African queen may have learned, too, as Darius 
did, to trust his Jewish faith and depend upon a man whose conduct was regulated 
by Divine law and principle. . . . This eunuch was treasurer of Candace, Queen 
of the Ethiopians. Here again we find another illustration of the historical and 
geographical accuracy of the Acts of the Apostles. We learn from several con- 
temporary geographers that the kingdom of" Meroe in Central Africa was ruled 
for centuries by a line of female sovereigns whose common title was Candace, as 
Pharaoh was that of the Egyptian monarchs. — Stokes : Acts, vol. i, p. 412. 

§139. The Conversion of the Eunuch: His Mind Prepared for the 
Truth. It is still a custom among the Orientals, when reading privately, to read 
audibly, although they have no particular intention of being heard by others. It 
was common for the Jews to be occupied in this way, especially when they were 
travelling. It is not improbable that the eunuch had heard, at Jerusalem, of the 
death of Jesus, and of the wonderful events connected with it, of his claim to be 
the Messiah, and the existence of a numerous party vrho acknowledged him in 
that character. Hence he may have been examining the prophecies at the time 
that Philip approached him, with reference to the question how far they had been 
accomplished in the history of the person concerning whom such reports had 
reached him. The extraordinary means which God employed to bring the Ethi- 
opian to a knowledge of the gospel, and the readiness with which he embraced it, 
authorise the belief, that in this way, or some other, his mind had been specially 
prepared for the reception of the truth. — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 119. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 140. The Blessings of Adversity, Perhaps the disciples in Jerusalem in 
the enjoyment of peace and popular favor had grown contented to remain at 
ease, instead of carrying out their Lord's command (Acts 1 : 8). Persecution 
drove them out of Jerusalem, but it led to a great increase in their number. It 
seemed a terrible blow, but it was the open gateway through which the church 
passed into the second great stage in its history. God's power to bring good out 
of evil may be one of our greatest comforts in adversity. 

§ 141. " One Soweth, and Another Reapeth." The Samaritans responded 
so quirkly to the simple words of Jesus that, though he wrought no miracles 
there, yet he could speak at once of "the whitening harvest." This was reaped 
by Philip. But both alike rejoiced in the results. 

§ 142. Intellectual Faith, and Saving Faith. Simon Magus believed, so 
did the demons (Jas. 2 : 19); but a mere intellectual assent to spiritual truth has 
no more power to change character than has a belief in the multiplication table. 
Saving faith yields in addition to this a complete submission of the heart and life 
to the truth, as in the case of the Ethiopian eunuch. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 8. 43 

§ 143. The Punishment Of Simon Compared with that of Ananias. 
"We may account for the difference of treatment by considering, that Simon, in 
whom we must suppose a mixture of deceit and superstition, had not yet expe- 
rienced the Holy Ghost in his heart, and did not really know what he was doing; 
whereas Ananias exhibited the height of conscious hypocrisy and selfishness, 
amidst the virgin purity and glowing love of the primitive church." — Schaff. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Tiik Growth of the Church in Palestine: Lechler, Apostolic and Post- 
Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 33-35. 2. Severity of the Persecution : Stalker, 
Life of St. Paul, pp. 39, 40. 3. Saul's Part in the Persecution : Ibid., pp. 35-37 ; 
Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 97-99; Conybeare and Hoivson, Life and 
Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 78, 79. 4. The Assumed Conversion of Simon 
MAGUS: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, pp. 169-171. 5. PETER AND SIMON Magus: 
Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 385-397. 6. PHILIP, AND THE ANGELIC 
Guidance: Ibid., pp. 403-408. 



Lesson 8.— THE CONVERSION OF SAUL. An Apostle to the 
Gentiles Called. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 144. Design of the Lesson. To gather together the accessible facts 
respecting Saul's life before his conversion, and to learn what we can respecting 
that supreme event in his life which changed Saul the persecutor into Paul 
the apostle. 

§ 145. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Draw attention to the 
fact that when Saul first appears in Luke's narrative (Acts 7 : 58) he was probably 
thirty or thirty-live years of age, and that for the main facts respecting his 
previous life we are dependent on incidental allusions in his addresses and 
epistles. 

(2) Picture Saul's boyhood in Tarsus, in a home which owing to his father's 
social position was probably a center of much culture and refinement; notice 
his strict religious training in the home and in the synagogue school; his early 
love for the religion of his fathers, and his abhorrence of the vices and wicked- 
ness practiced by the heathen on all sides of him. 

(3) Follow him to Jerusalem where he enters the school of the famous teacher 
Gamaliel, and becomes a diligent student of the Hebrew Scriptures and of the 
learned comments of the Jewish Rabbis. He imbibed here Gamaliel's zeal for 
the law, but apparently very little of his moderation. 

(4) Take particular notice of Saul's strenuous efforts during the time before his 
conversion to build up a righteousness of his own that should merit God's favor, 
and bring peace to his conscience. In respect to the law he was blameless, in 
passionate zeal for his ancestral religion "he outstripped his fellows, and became a 
persecutor of the church, because he thought that thereby he was serving God. 

(5) Call attention to the stupendous change in his character which took place 



44 The Bible Study Manual. 

when Jesus appeared to him; how the elaborate system of self-righteousness 
which he had built up with such extraordinary pains was destroyed at once, to 
give place to an unfaltering faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and the 
long-expected Messiah. 

(6) Note, finally, how this revelation that all his past life had been a mistake 
— a fighting against God instead of for him — so overwhelmed him that, blinded 
and stunned, he needed and, through Ananias, received a still further revelation 
from the Lord, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, before he was ready to enter upon 
the open confession of his new faith. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

SAUL'S LIFE BEFORE HIS CONVERSION. 

§ 146. Tarsus, the Birthplace of Saul. Tarsus ranked among the first 
cities of the world. It was one of the busiest mercantile ports of the Mediter- 
ranean; while in scholarship and the fine arts it was excelled only by Alexandria 
and Athens. Here were schools to which young men from all parts of the world 
came to complete their education. . . . The language of the cultivated classes 
was Greek, — a language which nearly all the inhabitants understood, though 
some retained their native dialect. There were also many Jews and persons of 
Jewish descent who in their homes and places of worship and private schools used 
the Aramaic and the ancient Hebrew. There was a variety of religions or forms 
of worship. Most of the people were ready to adopt the forms prescribed by the 
Roman government; but some maintained their devotion to the deities of 
Greece, while others clung to the traditional religion of Assyria. The Jewish 
residents, however, held tenaciously to their own faith and form of worship. 
They read their scriptures and taught them to their children; they met in their 
synagogues on the sabbath and worshipped with their faces toward Jerusalem. 
It was in such a city, among such a people that . . . Saul was born. — Taylor : 
Life of Paul, pp. 17-19. 

§ 147. Influence of Tarsus upon Saul's Life and Character. In studying 
the character and life of Paul it is of the utmost importance to remember that he 
grew up in the atmosphere of a great and busy city, for it greatly influenced him 
in many ways. His cosmopolitan culture he owed to the influence of his training 
and surroundings in Tarsus. It was always easy for him to associate with all 
classes, with the cultured and refined as well as with the common people. ... In 
his letters, his politeness and thoughtfulness for others are everywhere apparent. 
... It is impossible not to see a great difference between him and the Twelve in 
this respect, and this is due largely to the fact that he was a child of the city, 
while they were of the country. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, p. 90. 

§ 148. Social Position of Saul's Family. From the excellent education 
which the sire bestowed on his son, and the noble principles instilled into him, 
we cannot doubt that the father of Saul was a person of gentle extraction and 
accustomed to move in the very highest grades of society. — Lexvin : St. Paul, 
vol. i, p. 2. 

§ 149. Citizenship and Family. Although a Jew he was a Roman citizen; 
that is, he had all the rights which an inhabitant of Rome possessed. We do not 



Library Extracts on Lesson 8. 45 

know how his father obtained this right, whether by service or by purchase. Of 
his family we know almost nothing. He had a sister who lived at Jerusalem; or, 
at least, her son was there. His parents were of the tribe of Benjamin, and 
although living among the heathen, seem to have remained Jews of the strictest 
sort. — Thatcher: Apostolic Church, p. 92. 

sj 150. Religious Influences. (1) Toward PJiarisaism. — More than once 
Paul speaks of his early life and training, and always emphasizes the fact that he 
had been brought up in accordance with the strictest rules of Phariseeism. He 
was one of those Pharisees who with his whole heart endeavored to keep the law. 
— Thatcher: Apostolic Church, p. 92. 

(2) Away from Heathenism. — Tarsus was the centre of a species of Baal- 
worship of an imposing but unspeakably degrading character, and at certain 
seasons of the year it was the scene of festivals, which were frequented by the 
whole population of the neighboring regions, and were accompanied with orgies 
of a degree of moral abominableness happily beyond the reach even of our imag- 
inations. . . . He could see enough to make him turn from idolatry with the 
scorn peculiar to his nation, and to make him regard the little synagogue where 
his family worshipped the Holy One of Israel as far more glorious than the 
gorgeous temples of the heathen. — Stalker : St. Paul, pp. 24, 25. 

§ 151. Education in Tarsus. His education was conducted at home rather 
than at school; for, though Tarsus was celebrated for its learning, the Hebrew 
boy would not lightly be exposed to the influence of Gentile teaching. Or, if he 
went to a school, it was not a Greek school, but rather to some room connected 
wilh the synagogue, where a noisy class of Jewish children received the rudiments 
of instruction, seated on the ground with their teacher, after the manner of 
Mahomedan children in the East, who may be seen or heard at their lessons near 
the mosque. — Conybeare and Howsou : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 49, 50. 

§ 152. Education at the Feet of Gamaliel. It has been contended, that 
when St. Paul said he was " brought up " in Jerusalem, " at the feet of Gamaliel," 
he meant that he had lived at the Rabban's house, and eaten at his table. But 
the words evidently point to the customary posture of Jewish students at a 
school. . . . Maimonides says : — "How do the masters teach? The doctor sits 
at the head, and the disciples around him like a crown, that they may all see the 
doctor and hear his words. Nor is the doctor seated on a seat, and the disciples 
on the ground; but all are on seats, or all on the floor." ... If we were briefly 
to specify the three effects which the teaching and example of Gamaliel may be 
supposed to have produced on the mind of St. Paul, they would be as follows : — 
candour and honesty of judgment, — a willingness to study and make use of 
Greek authors, — and a keen and watchful enthusiasm for the Jewish law. — 
Conybeare and Ho-uson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 61, 58. 

§ 153. Rabbinical Schools in Jerusalem. The schools at Jerusalem in the 
time of Gamaliel where wholly engaged in studies of the most wearisome, narrow, 
petty, technical kind. . . . The Talmud . . . devotes a whole treatise to washings 
of the hands, and another to the proper method of killing fowls. The Pharisaic 
section of the Jews held, indeed, that there were two hundred and forty-eight 
commandments and three hundred and sixty-five prohibitions involved in the 
Jewish Law, all of them equally binding, and all of them so searching that if only 
one solitary Jew could be found who for one day kept them all and transgressed 
in no one direction, then the captivity of God's people would cease and the 
Messiah would appear. . . . "If there be one thing more definitely laid down in' 
the Law than another, it is the uncleanness of creeping things; yet the Talmud 



46 The Bible Study Manual. 

assures us that ' no one is appointed a member of the Sanhedrin who does not 
possess sufficient ingenuity to prove from the written Law that a creeping thing 
is ceremonially clean '; and that there was an unimpeachable disciple at Jabne 
who could adduce one hundred and fifty arguments in favour of the ceremonial 
cleanness of creeping things. Sophistry like this was at work even in the days 
when the young student of Tarsus sat at the feet of Gamaliel; and can we 
imagine any period of his life when he would not have been wearied by a system 
at once so meaningless, so stringent, and so insincere?" — Stokes: Acts, vol. ii, 
pp. 15, 17. 

§ 154. Saul's Trade, and his Residence after Completing his Studies. 

It was customary for every Rabbi to learn a trade, for according to the law they 
were not allowed to receive pay for their advice and instruction. But there were 
many ways of evading this, and probably very few Rabbis actually lived from the 
income of their trade. Paul had already learned the trade which was so common 
in his own home, that of weaving coarse cloth of the long wool of the Cilician 
goats and cutting it into the necessary patterns for tents. How long he was in 
Jerusalem it is impossible to tell. We do not know whether he left Jerusalem 
after completing his studies and went as a young Rabbi to Tarsus, or to some 
other city. He may have remained in Jerusalem, perhaps, as Rabbi in the syna- 
gogue " of them of Cilicia and x\sia." . . . Tarsus was in Cilicia, and it is quite 
natural that Paul should be connected with that synagogue. — Thatcher: 
Apostolic Church, pp. 95, 102. 

§155. Personal Characteristics. (1) Personal Appearance. — As to his per- 
sonal appearance, we are left to indirect statements and inferences. . . . He was 
probably small of stature, for his opponents in Corinth said that he could write 
blustering, threatening letters, as if he were able to do great things, but his bodily 
presence was weak and insignificant. At Lystra, where the enthusiastic inhabit- 
ants were going to pay divine honors to him and Barnabas, he was called Hermes, 
while Barnabas was called Zeus. In all works of art, Zeus is represented as of 
large stature and with a heavy beard, while Hermes is small and beardless. In 
the Acts of Paul and Thecla, the first Christian romance, written about 150 A.D., 
there is a description of Paul which is probably based on a true tradition. In this 
he is described as "a man small in size, bald-headed, bandy-legged, well-built, with 
eyebrows meeting, rather long-nosed, and with motions full of grace." 

In Galatians, and especially in his letters to the Corinthians, there is much said 
about his sufferings and infirmities. A sigh as of bodily pain and sickness seems 
to be heard through them all. His body was marked by rods and scourges and 
racked by persecutions, and his health was broken by the many hardships which 
he had experienced. He must have had a strong body and great vigor of consti- 
tution to endure all the violence that had been done him. — Thatcher : Apostolic 
Church, pp. 96, 97. 

(2) The " 7Viom in the Flesh." — Traces of its permanent effect [his tempo- 
rary blindness at Damascus] on his powers of sight have been found in his habit 
of dictating rather than writing letters, in the large characters traced by him when 
he did write, in his not recognising the high priest who commanded him to. be 
struck. Of the many theories as to the mysterious " thorn in the flesh," there 
seems most reason for accepting that which connects it with some affection of the 
eyes, involving, perhaps, attacks of agonizing pain. On this assumption, the eager 
wish of the Galatians, if it had been possible, to have plucked out their own eyes 
and given them to him, receives a special and interesting significance. — Plumptre : 
In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 153^. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 8. 47 

THE CONVERSION OF SAUE. 

§ 156. Saul, the Persecutor. Here we have a picture of St. Paul in his 
unconverted state : " Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the 
disciples of the Lord." . . . He shut up in prison many of the saints, both men 
and women, and that in Jerusalem before he went to Damascus at all. He 
scourged the disciples in every synagogue. . . . He voted for the execution of the 
disciples. . . . And lastly followed the disciples and persecuted them in foreign 
cities. . . . He strove ... to compel the disciples to blaspheme the name of 
Christ in the same manner as the Romans were subsequently wont to test Chris- 
tians by calling upon them to cry anathema to the name of their Master. . . . 
When we thus strive to realise the facts of the case, we shall see that the scenes 
of blood and torture and death, the ruined homes, the tears, the heartbreaking 
separations which the young man Saul had caused in his blind zeal for the law, 
and which are briefly summed up in the words " he made havock of the Church," 
were quite sufficient to account for that profound impression of his own unworthi- 
ness and of God's great mercy towards him which he ever cherished to his dying 
day. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 24, 26-28. 

§ 157. External Features of Saul's Conversion. (1) His Mission to 
Damascus. — On the road to Damascus through the burning desert sand, a young 
Pharisee with his companions is journeying along; far beyond others of his own 
years and party, he is held in high esteem for his zeal for the ancestral precepts, 
and he surpasses all in his bitter enmity to the sect of the Nazarenes. Endowed 
with authority from the Sanhedrin, he purposes by energetic measures against the 
confessors of the Crucified One to crush the Messianic agitation which has started 
up afresh even in the Dispersion. — Weiss : Life of Christ, vol. iii, p. 410. 

(2) The Vision at Midday. — Nearer and nearer however he drew. . . . Sud- 
denly at midday, as Paul and his company were riding forward beneath the blaze 
of the Syrian sun, a light which dimmed even that fierce glare shone round about 
them, a shock vibrated through the atmosphere, and in a moment they found 
themselves prostrate upon the ground. The rest was for Paul alone : a voice 
sounded in his ears, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? " and as he looked up 
and asked the radiant Figure that had spoken, " Who art thou, Lord? "the 
answer was, " I am Jesus, whom thou art persecuting." — Stalker : St. Paul, p. 43. 

(3) The Revelation to Saul of Jesus of Nazareth. — Here, however, we note 
the expressive fact that the very name by which the future apostle was addressed 
by the Lord was Hebrew. . . . The Lord appeals to the very foundations of his 
religious life, and throws him back upon the thought and manifestation of Codas 
revealed of old time to His greatest leader and champion under the old covenant, 
to Moses in the bush. . . . Saul asks who is speaking to him, and the answer is 
not, The Eternal Word who is from everlasting, the Son of the Infinite One who 
ruleth in the heavens. Saul would have acknowledged at once that his efforts 
were not aimed at Him. But the speaker cuts right across the line of Saul's 
prejudices and feelings, for He says, "I am Jesus of Nazareth," whom you hate 
so intensely and against whom all your efforts are aimed, emphasizing those points 
against which his Pharisaic prejudices must have most of all revolted. . . . Saul 
of Tarsus was converted outside the city, but the work was only begun there. — 
Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 45, 46, 48. 

§158. Internal Conditions Preceding Saul's Conversion: Two Views. 
(1) Not Preceded by an Inward Preparation. — Hie conversion of Saul does 
not appear, on an accurate consideration of the three narratives, which agree in 
the main points, to have had the way psychologically prepared for it by scruples of 
conscience as to Iris persecuting proceedings. On the contrary, Luke represents it 



48 The Bible Study Manual. 

in the history at our passage, and Paul himself in his speeches, as in direct and 
immediate contrast to his vehement persecuting zeal, amidst which he was all of 
a sudden internally arrested by the miraculous fact from without. . . . For the 
transformation of his . . . ardent interest against the gospel -into an ardent zeal for 
it, there was needed ... a heavenly power directly seizing on his inmost con- 
science; and this he experienced, in the midst of his zealot enterprise, on the 
way to Damascus, when that perverted striving after righteousness and merit was 
annihilated. — Meyer: Commentary, Acts, p. 183. 

(2) Preceded by an Inward Preparation. — There must have been a consider- 
able period during which he was halting and doubting [Acts 26: 14]. Whatever 
the nature of the event that happened on the way to Damascus, . . . the turning- 
point in his career merely marks the logical result of increasing dissatisfaction 
with himself and his course as a Pharisee, and of deepening impressions concern- 
ing the truth of Christianity. ... It is a psychological impossibility that his con- 
version should have been due to external causes alone, and should have had no 
internal point of contact with the course of his previous life up to the moment of 
its occurrence. It is inconceivable that an external miracle alone should have 
transformed a man of Saul's fiery temper and firmness of conviction from a 
Pharisee into a Christian, if indeed such a miracle can in any case be conceived 
of as by itself effecting an inner spiritual revolution. — Stevens : Pauline The- 
ology, pp. 4-6. 

THE MINISTRY OF ANANIAS TO SAUL. 

§ 159. The Sending of Ananias to Saul. The manner in which Ananias 
is here introduced, distinctly implies that, previously, he and Saul had not been 
personally acquainted with each other; it appears, at least, from vs. 13, that 
Ananias knew Saul only by report. . . . He is directed to go forth, and to pro- 
ceed to a certain street, to enter a certain house, and there seek Saul, who is 
exactly described to him, and is engaged in prayer. . . . The Lord informs 
Ananias of the reason for selecting and sending him precisely at that time to Saul 
— because the latter was, at that moment, engaged in prayer, and, . . . because 
Saul had already seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and putting 
his hand on him. — Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, Acts, pp. 168, i6q3. 

§ 160.. The Interview between Ananias and Saul. The good Ananias 
hesitated no longer. He entered into the house of Judas, and while his very 
presence seemed to breathe peace, he addressed the sufferer by the dear title of 
brother, and laying his hands upon the clouded eyes, bade him rise, and see, and 
be filled with the Holy Ghost. " Be baptized," he added, " and wash away thy 
sins, calling on the name of the Lord." The words of blessing and trust were 
to the troubled nerves and aching heart of the sufferer a healing in themselves. 
Immediately " there fell from his eyes as it had been scales." He rose, and saw, 
and took food and was strengthened, and . . . was admitted into the full privi- 
leges of the new faith. He became a member of the Church of Christ, the 
extirpation of which had been for months the most passionate desire and the most 
active purpose of his life. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 1 13, 1 14. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 161. No Salvation Possible through Law. If Saul with all his inborn 
religiousness, with his careful training, with his scrupulous regard for the law; with 
his extraordinary efforts to win the favor of God by his personal righteousness, 
yet failed utterly and wretchedly, does it not suggest that salvation along this line 
is unattainable by any man ? 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 8. 49 

§ 162. God's Method of Saving Men. Over against this laborious and 
utterly futile attempt on man's part to climb into heaven on the ladder of his own 
righteousness is God's way of saving men, which consists in his stooping down to 
sinful man and through this grace in Christ Jesus our Lord lifting up into holiness 
and into fellowship with himself every one who, in penitence and faith, accepts 
his proffered aid. 

§ 163. The Essential Facts in Conversion. External circumstances and 
inward experiences may differ endlessly, but in every genuine conversion the 
essential facts are the same — the sinner must be conscious of his need of help, 
and he must by faith cast himself just as he is upon the help that comes to him 
from God through Christ. 

§ 164. Sinning through Ignorance, and Sinning against Light. Saul 
obtained mercy, as he says, because he sinned ignorantly ami in unlelief. But 
the mercy of God extends also to him who has sinned against the light that God 
has given him. It is limited only by man's impenitence and want of faith. The 
"whosoever" in Jo. 3 : 16 applies to every man. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The LANGUAGE of Saul's Infancy : Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles 
of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 38-40. 2. Saul's Boyhood in a Hellenist City : Farrar, 
Life and Work of St. Paul, ch. 2; Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. 
Paul, vol. i, pp. 49-51. 3. The School and the Synagogue; Schurer, Jewish 
People in the Time of Christ, sd Div., vol. ii, pp. 44-89; Farrar, Life and Work of St. 
Paul, ch. 3. 4. Saul's Domestic Relations: Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, 
pp. 44-46. 5. Life under the Law: Schurer, Jewish People in the Time of 
Christ, 2d Div., vol. ii, pp. 90-125. 6. Saul's Unconscious Preparation for his 
WORK : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 19-37. 7- " KICKING AGAINST THE 
GOAD": Stalker, Life of St. Paul, pp. 40-42; Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, 
pp. 101-107. 8. Roads from Jerusalem to Damascus: Conybeare and Howson, 
Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 83-88. 9. THE Crisis in Saul's Life: 
Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 107-114. 10. Had Saul Met Jesus during 
his Ministry? Ibid., pp. 41-44. it. Effect of Saul's Conversion on his 
Thinking: Stalker, Life of St. Paul, pp. 44-47. 12. Its Effect on his Destiny: 
Ibid., pp. 47, 48. 13. The Conversion of Saul as an Evidence of Chris- 
tianity ; Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 114, 115. 



5° 



The Bible Study Manual. 




TIME of CHRIST 



Scale of English "Miles. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 9. -SAUL'S PREPARATION POR HIS FUTURE WORK. 

His Experiences in Damascus, Arabia, Judea, Syria, 

and Oilicia. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 165. Design of the Lesson. To show how Saul by his experience in 
Damascus and Jerusalem, by his intervening retirement into the solitudes of 
Arabia for reflection, and by his evangelistic labors in Syria and Cilicia was pre- 
pared for his future work among the Gentiles. 

§ 166. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note at the outset 
that we have no connected history of this portion of Saul's life, but that a fairly 
comprehensive survey is attainable by piecing together the scattered historical 
material in the Acts and in Paul's epistles. 

(2) Speak of Saul's natural impulse after his conversion to make known the 
great change that had been wrought in him, as well as the revelation that had 
been given to him, and yet how quickly it must have become apparent to him 
that he was not yet qualified to engage permanently in this work. 

(3) Consider at what point in Luke's narrative the sojourn in Arabia must be 
inserted, and the reasons for placing it between verses 22 and 23. Point out the 
need of this retirement, the nature of the divine training experienced by Saul, 
and its tendency to make him independent of human instruction. 

(4) Show how the results of this retirement became apparent on his return to 
Damascus (Acts 9: 27), and in his preaching to the Hellenists in Jerusalem (vs. 
29) ; and how at the same time in both these places his experiences became 
prophetic of his subsequent life of peril and suffering for the sake of the gospel. 

(5) Call attention to the open-hearted hospitality of Peter in taking to his 
heart and into his home this former persecutor; conceive, if possible, something 
of the intense interest with which Peter probably related, and Saul listened to, 
the story of the earthly ministry of Jesus. 

(6) Show, finally, how Saul's experiences in Syria and Cilicia gave him a 
practical training in preaching and planting churches, thus completing the prep- 
aration needed for his future work. 

5 1 



52 The Bible Study Manual. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

§ 167. The Probable Sequence in Paul's Journeyings. Paul, immedi- 
ately after his conversion, spent a few days with the disciples at Damascus, 
preaching Christ in the synagogues of the Jews (Acts 9: 19-22). Soon after- 
wards, urged by an internal impulse, he went to Arabia, where he spent two or 
three years in retirement, preparing himself for his great mission (Gal. 1 : 15-17). 
Then he returned to Damascus, and spent some time longer there preaching the 
gospel (Acts 9: 23). Afterwards, in consequence of a plot of the Jews against 
his life, he effected his escape, and betook himself to Jerusalem (vss. 24, 25). 
It is probable that the greater part of the three years was spent not in Damascus, 
but in Arabia; for it is to his residence in Arabia that Paul himself gives the 
greater prominence. Damascus is only incidentally mentioned by him. This 
also . . . bests accounts for the cold reception which he received from the dis- 
ciples in Jerusalem. . . . Paul, in Arabia, was not an evangelist, but a student of 
theology; not a dispenser, but a receiver of revelations. He who formerly at 
Jerusalem sat at the feet of Gamaliel, in Arabia sat as a student at the feet of 
Jesus; and the Acts records not his studies, but his labors : it relates public events 
which are history, not private events which are biography. — Gloag : Commen- 
tary, Acts, vol. i, pp. 340, 341. 

SAUL'S EXPERIENCES IN DAMASCUS, AND HIS RETIREMENT 
INTO ARABIA. 

§ 168. Saul's First Preaching in Damascus. At once we find him, 
where Stephen was a few months before, in the synagogues preaching to his own 
people, the Jews; and this is his theme, as it was with all the apostles, " Jesus, 
the Son of God, died for our sins and rose from the dead." How those Jews at 
Damascus must have wondered, — they who had never had a thought or experi- 
enced a heart-throb outside the narrow limits of their law and tradition, and who 
had looked upon Saul as one like themselves; how amazed they must have been 
to see the flame burst from a heart which they supposed was as cold as their own, 
toward all new things in religion ! At first they would not know what it meant. 
Might not this be some stealthy masquerade, by which cunning Saul would draw 
the Christians about him only to destroy them the more easily ? No, — that 
cannot be. He is too intensely in earnest. He must mean what he says. They 
see the man they had expected to be their champion transformed into a stronger 
and more positive Christian than any they had ever met before. 

But Saul's preaching in Damascus at this time could not have continued very 
long. Only for a little while did he bear testimony to the fact that he had become 
a follower of the Lord Jesus; for he is not ready yet to enter upon the work of 
an apostle. — Taylor : Life of Paul, pp. 54, 55. 

§ 169. Saul's Preparation in Arabia for his Future Work. The Lord 
led Saul there [to Arabia] for the purpose of quiet and retirement. . . . When 
God would prepare Moses for his life's work in shepherding, ruling, and guiding 
His people through the deserts of Arabia, He first called him for many a long day 
into retirement to the Mount of Horeb and the solitudes of the Sinaitic desert. 
When God would strengthen and console the spirit depressed, wounded and 
severely smitten, of his servant Elijah, He brought him to the same mysterious 
spot. . . . 

The Lord thus taught St. Paul, and through him teaches the Church of every 
age, the need of seasons of retirement and communion with God preparatory to 
and in close connexion with any great work or scene of external activity, such as 



Library Extracts on Lesson g. 53 

St. Paul was now entering upon. . . .. The world was perishing and men were 
going down to the grave in darkness and Satan and sin were triumphing, and yet 
Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, and Saul was 
brought out into the deserts of Arabia from amid the teeming crowds of Damascus 
that he might learn those secrets of the Divine life which are best communicated 
to those who wait upon God in patient prayer and holy retirement. This is a 
lesson very necessary for this hot and fitful and feverish age of ours, when men 
are in such a hurry to have everything set right and every abuse destroyed all at 
once. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 85, 86. 

§ 170. The Discipline of Solitude. When a man has been suddenly 
converted, as Taul was, he is generally driven by a strong impulse to make known 
what has happened to him. . . . But we learn from his own writings t . .t chcre 
was another powerful impulse influencing him at the same time. . . . This other 
impulse was the wish to retreat into solitude and think out the meaning and 
issues of that which had befallen him. It cannot be wondered at that he felt this 
to be a necessity. He had believed his former creed intensely and staked every- 
thing on it; to see it suddenly shattered in pieces must have shaken him severely. 
The new truth which had been flashed upon him was so far-reaching and revolu- 
tionary that it could not be taken in at once in all its bearings. Paul was a born 
thinker; it was not enough for him to experience anything; he required to com- 
prehend it and fit it into the structure of his convictions. Immediately, therefore, 
after his conversion he went away, he tells us, into Arabia. . . . When he 
returned to mankind he was in possession of that view of Christianity which was 
peculiar to himself and formed the burden of his preaching during the subsequent 
years. — Stalker ; St. Paul, pp. 51, 52. 

§ 171. Saul's Return from Damascus and Escape from the Same. 
From his conversion to his final departure from Damascus, is said to have been 
"three years." . . . Meantime Saul had "returned to Damascus, preaching 
boldly in the name of Jesus." The Jews, being no longer able to meet him in 
controversy, resorted to that which is the last argument of a desperate cause: 
they resolved to assassinate him. Saul became acquainted with the conspiracy; 
and all due precautions were taken to evade the danger. But the political cir- 
cumstances of Damascus at the time made escape very difficult. Either in the 
course of the hostilities which prevailed along the Syrian frontiers between 
Herod Antipas and the Romans, on one side, and Aretas, King of Petra, on the 
other, — and possibly in consequence of that absence of Vitellius, which was 
caused by the emperor's death, — the Arabian monarch had made himself master 
of Damascus, and the Jews, who sympathised with Aretas, were high in the favour 
of his officer, the Ethnarch. Or Tiberius had ceased to reign, and his successor 
had assigned Damascus to the King of Petra, and the Jews had gained over his 
officer and his soldiers, as Pilate's soldiers had once been gained over at Jerusalem. 
St. Paul at least expressly informs us, that " the Ethnarch kept watch over the 
city, with a garrison, purporting to apprehend him." St. Luke says, that the 
Jews " watched the city-^ates day and night, with the intention ot killing him." 
The Jews furnished the motive, the Ethnarch the military force. The anxiety of 
the " disciples " was doubtless great, . . . [andj became the instrument of his 
safety. From an unguarded part of the wall, in the darkness of the night, prob- 
ably where some overhanging houses, . . . opened upon the outer country, they 
let him down from a window in a basket. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, 
vol. i, pp. 99, 100. 

§ 172. Aretas and Paul; the Narrative Confirmed. The whole story 
of Aretas and his connection with Paul was for a long time questioned, but with- 



54 The Bible Study Manual. 

out sufficient grounds. For the latest researches have shown that there is really 
nothing known that can be urged against the truthfulness of the narrative. 
Aretas IV. was king of Arabia Nabataea, whose capital was Petrea. His 
kingdom included a large part of the Sinaitic peninsula, and extended far up 
on the east side of the Jordan. He was a warlike man, a skillful general, and an 
able ruler. It is impossible to say just when he got control of Damascus, as we 
have no exact information about it. But it is a very significant fact that the coins 
of Damascus from the year 33 a.d. to 63 a.d. do not bear the image of the 
Roman Emperor. But before 2>Zi an d after 63, they again appear bearing the 
Emperor's likeness. This fact shows conclusively that during this period the city 
did not owe allegiance directly to the Emperor, but was under some other ruler. 
So that it is possible that Aretas IV. had control of Damascus during this whole 
period. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, p. 112. 

§ 173. Saul's Flight to Jerusalem. How he made his way to Jerusalem 
must be left to conjecture. Doubtless, as he stole through the dark night alone — 
above all, as he passed the very spot where Christ had taken hold of him, and 
into one moment of his life had been crowded a whole eternity — his heart would 
be full of thoughts too deep for words. It has been supposed, from the expres- 
sion of which he makes use in his speech to Agrippa, that he may have preached 
in many synagogues on the days which were occupied on his journey to Jerusalem. 
But this seems inconsistent with his own statement that he was " unknown by 
face to the churches of Judaea which were in Christ." It is not, however, 
unlikely that he may sometimes have availed himself of the guest-chambers 
which were attached to the Jewish synagogues; and if such was the case, he 
might have taught the first truths of the Gospel to the Jews without being thrown 
into close contact with Christian communities. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 128. 

SAUL'S FIRST VISIT TO JERUSALEM AFTER HIS CONVERSION, 
AND HIS WORK IN SYRIA AND CILICIA. 

§ 174. The Object of Paul's Return to Jerusalem. After three years 
had . . . expired from the time of his conversion, he resolved . . . once more 
to return to Jerusalem. As to the object of this journey, it follows from what 
Paul himself states, in his Epistle to the Galatians, that the main object at least, 
was not to form a -connexion with the Christian church in Jerusalem, but to 
become personally acquainted with the apostle Peter. This does not exclude that 
we are told in the Acts, of his intercourse with the whole church, and his dispu- 
tations with the Hellenists; only these do not form the object for undertaking the 
journey, but only something additional while carrying out his original design. 
. . . [Peter] was especially active in promoting the spread of Christianity — a 
sufficient reason why Paul, before entering on his public ministry, should wish to 
confer with him in particular. — Neander : Planting and Training, pp. 93-95. 

§175. Saul's Reception at Jerusalem. Not without grief and awe could 
he look upon the city of his forefathers, over which he now knew that the judg- 
ment of God was impending. And not without sad emotions could one of so 
tender a nature think of the alienation of those who had once been his warmest 
associates. The grief of Gamaliel, the indignation of the Pharisees, the fury of 
the Hellenistic Synagogues, all this, he knew, was before him. The sanguine 
hopes, however, springing from his own honest convictions, and his fervent zeal 
to communicate the truth to others, predominated in his mind. He thought that 
they would believe as he had believed. . . . When they saw the change which 
had been produced in him, and heard the miraculous history he could tell them, 
they would not refuse to " receive his testimony," 



Library Extracts on Lesson g. 55 

Thus, with fervent zeal, and sanguine expectations, " he attempted to join him- 
self to the disciples " of Christ, But, as the Jews hated him, so the Christians 
suspected him. His escape had been too hurried to allow of his bringing 
"letters of commendation." Whatever distant rumour might have reached them 
of an apparition on his journey, of his conduct at Damascus, of his retirement 
into Arabia, they could not believe that he was really a disciple. — Cony bear e and 
Hawson : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 102. 

§ 176. Saul Vouched for by Barnabas. What, we ask, made Barnabas 
more ready than others, not only to receive the convert himself, but to vouch for 
his sincerity ? The answer is found in the inference that the Levite of Cyprus 
and the tentmaker had been friends in earlier years. The culture of which 
Tarsus was the seat would naturally attract a student from the neighbouring 
island, and the eagerness of Barnabas to secure Saul's co-operation at a later 
stage of his work may fairly be looked on as furnishing a confirmation of the 
view now suggested. He knew enough of his friend to believe every syllable of 
what he told him as to the incidents of his conversion [perhaps also he had been 
in Damascus, and had witnessed Saul's work there]. — Plumptre : In Handy 
Commentary, Acts, p. 162. 

§ 177. The Meeting of St. Peter and St. Paul. [In Jerusalem] first Peter 
and Paul met and took counsel together. Kindred in spirit, though differing 
much in social culture and mental training, the high born, Philosophic pupil of 
Gamaliel and the humble illiterate boatman of Galilee formed, even during the 
brief intercourse of two weeks, an ardent, life-long friendship. Little did either 
of them at the time imagine the grandeur of the work in which they were engaged, 
or the great things that they were both to do and to suffer for the sake of Him 
they sought to serve and honor. Still less did they suppose that their humble 
names would be inscribed in the heraldry of deathless fame, while the great men 
of their day, princes, philosophers, and priests, would be remembered chiefly 
because of their relations to them and their work. Scarcely had the names of 
Caligula, and Gamaliel, and Annas been known to-day but for their connection 
with these two humble great men and their mission. After a few days of wonder- 
ful and intimate friendship, the mutual explanations of personal experience, they 
part — Paul to go to his native city, and Peter to visit the church [in Lydda] in 
the vicinity of Jerusalem. — Ormislon : In Meyer's Commentary, Acts, p. 198. 

§ 178. Saul's Preaching to the Hellenists at Jerusalem. It will be 
remembered that it was as the leader of the Hellenistic Jews of the synagogue 
named in ch. 6:9 that Saul had first appeared in the history of the Church. 
Now, it would seem, he sought to undo the evil that he had then wrought, by 
preaching to them the faith which he had then opposed, and presenting, we may 
well believe, the very aspects of the truth that had been most prominent in 
Stephen's teaching, and which, therefore, now, as then, roused them to a passion- 
ate frenzy. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 163a. 

§ 179. Saul Compelled to Flee to Tarsus. The same fury which had 
caused the murder of Stephen, now brought the murderer of Stephen to the 
verge of assassination. Once more, as at Damascus, the Jews made a conspiracy 
to put Saul to death : and once more he was rescued by the anxiety of the breth- 
ren. Reluctantly, and not without a direct intimation from on high, he retired 
from the work of preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem. . . . 

They brought him down to Gesarea by the sea, and from Coesarea they sent 
him to Tarsus. His own expression in the Epistle to the Galatians is that he went 
" into the regions of Syria and Cilicia." From this it has been inferred that he 



56 The Bible Study Manual. 

went first from Caesarea to Antioch, and then from Antioch to Tarsus. And such 
a course would have been perfectly natural; for the communication of the city 
of Caesar and the Herods with the metropolis of Syria, either by sea and the 
harbour of Seleucia, or by the great coast-road through Tyre and Sidon, was easy 
and frequent. But the supposition is unnecessary. In consequence of the range 
of Mount Taurus, Cilicia has a greater geographical affinity with Syria than with 
Asia Minor. — Conybeare and Howson: St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 103, 104. 

§ 180. Saul's Evangelistic Work in Syria and Cilicia. In these regions 
of Syria and Cilicia, I'aul remained four or five years. . . . That he was occupied 
during this time in labouring for the spread of the gospel, is not only to be 
inferred from the character of the man, but is expressly stated in Gal. I : 21-23. 
Further, in the sequel of the narrative, we find churches existing here, the origin 
of which is unknown, unless we suppose that they were planted by Paul's instru- 
mentality at this time. It is not an irrelevant reflection, which Mr. Howson sug- 
gests, that during this residence of Paul in his native land " some of those Chris- 
tian ' kinsmen,' whose names are handed down to us, possibly his sister, the 
playmate of his childhood, and his sister's son, who afterwards saved his life, may 
have been gathered by ins exertions into the fold of Christ." — Hackett: Com- 
mentary, Acts, p. 131. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 181. The Impulse to Testify of Conversion. Conversion means a change 
from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness, and from condemnation to 
peace. A change so great brings such joy that the tongue is often forced to utter 
the gladness which the heart feels, and to speak of that divine goodness and 
power through which the change has been wrought. 

§ 182. Preparation for the Work of Life. The greater the work the 
greater the needed preparation. Those who will not take time to acquire 
thorough equipment must be content to do commonplace work. Though Saul 
was already thirty years of age or more, and possessed the amplest scholastic 
culture, yet before God permitted him to go forth to his life-work among the 
perishing Gentiles he withdrew him for seven or more years for further prepara- 
tory training. When he finally began his distinctive work, he quickly took the 
place for which God had prepared him, — as the Apostle of the Gentiles and the 
advocate of Christian liberty. 

§ 183. Making God's Message Our Own. .Saul not only received a great 
message from God, but by meditation and prayer he made it his own, and then 
he threw all the powers of his body, mind and soul into it. Let us find out what 
God wants us to do, how best to do it, and then do it with all our might. 

§ 184. Retrieving the Past. Saul did his utmost to undo the wrong he had 
done to the church in Jerusalem. At the peril of his life he preached the truth 
for which Stephen had suffered, in the very synagogues where Stephen had 
preached. A genuine convert seeks not only to improve the future but to retrieve 
the past. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Saul at Damascus : Lange, Commentary, Acts, p. 178. 2. Saul's Procla- 
mation of Jesus as the "Son of God": Ibid., p. 180^. 3. Why Luke did 
not Mention the Sojourn in Arabia : Gloag, Commentary, Acts, vol. i, pp. 340, 
341. 4. The Occupation of Damascus by Aretas: Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., 
Art., "Aretas;" Gloag, Commentary, Acts, vol. i, pp. 334-336. 5. Why Aretas 
Sought to Capture Saul: Thatcher, Apostolic Church, pp. no, in. 6. Saul's 
Reception at Jerusalem : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, p. 129 ff. 



Libra?-)' Extracts on Lesson 10. 57 

Lesson 10. - THE CONVERSION OP CORNELIUS. The Vision of 
Peter, and the first Gentile Converts. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 185. Design of the Lesson. To show how Peter and the church at Jeru- 
salem were prepared through the vision at Joppa, and the conversion of Cornelius 
at Caesarea, for a new step in advance, namely, the direct admission of the Gentiles 
into the Christian church. 

§ 186. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Call attention to the 
cessation of the Jewish persecution of the Christians owing to the persecution of 
the Jews themselves by Caligula, and to the consequent season of prosperity 
enjoyed by the church. 

(2) Note the divine leadings by which Peter was brought to Joppa, the gradual 
breaking down of his Jewish prejudices, as seen in his lodging in the house of a 
tanner, and how this may have prepared him in some measure for the fuller 
revelation that God is no respecter of persons. 

(3) Mark how at the same time that the Lord was thus preparing Peter to 
preach to the Gentiles, he was also preparing Cornelius, a Gentile, for the recep- 
tion of the gospel; and how in response to his summons and by divine direction, 
Peter came to him, preached Christ, and was permitted to witness the immediate 
divine acceptance of Gentiles through the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit. 

(4) Notice that the precise thing to which the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem 
objected was not the salvation of the Gentiles, but that Peter had gone in and 
eaten with them, thereby ignoring the national prejudice which regarded the Jews 
as clean in God's sight, and the Gentiles as unclean. This, however, was but one 
phase of that general Jewish feeling of exclu^iveness, which resulted later in the 
conflict concerning the relation of the Gentiles to the Jewish law. 

(5) Try to comprehend the importance of this revelation of God's grace to the 
Gentiles. Now it is a trite remark that the gospel is for all men and not for a 
few, and that all alike are precious in God's sight; but this great truth was first 
taught the Christian church by the vision of Peter and the conversion of Cornelius. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
THE CHURCH HAVING BEST FROM PERSECUTION. 

§ 187. The Cause of the Temporary Rest from Persecution. Jewish 
And Roman histury here step in to illustrate and confirm the sacred narrative. 
The Emperor Caius Caligula, who ascended the throne of the empire about the 
time of Stephen's martyrdom, was a strange character. He was wholly self-willed, 
madly impious, utterly careless of human life. . . . Caligula determined to estab- 
lish the worship of himself throughout the world. He had no opposition to 



58 The Bible Study Manual. 

dread from the pagans, who were ready to adopt any creed or any cult, no matter 
how degrading, which their rulers prescribed. 

Caligula knew, however, that the Jews were more obstinate, because they alone 
were conscious that they possessed a Divine revelation. He issued orders, there- 
fore, to Petronius, the Roman governor of Syria, Palestine, and the East, to erect 
his statue in Jerusalem and to compel the Jews to offer sacrifice thereto. Josephus 
tells us of the opposition which the Jews offered to Caligula; how they abandoned 
their agricultural operations and assembled in thousands at different points, 
desiring Petronius to slay them at once, as they could never live if the Divine laws 
were so violated. The whole energies of the nation were for months concentrated 
on this one object, the repeal of the impious decree of Caligula, which they at last 
attained through their own determination and by the intervention of Herod 
Agrippa, who was then at Rome. It was during this awful period of uncertainty 
and opposition that the infant Church enjoyed a brief period of repose and quiet 
growth, because the whole nation from the high priest to the lowest beggar had 
something else to think of than how to persecute a new sect that was as yet 
rigorously scrupulous in observing the law of Moses. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 
94-96. 

PETER'S MIRACLES AT LYDDA AND JOPPA. 

' § 188. Peter's Pastoral Journey. The history now turns from Saul to Peter, 
to shew us that when the former had been prepared for his special work the latter 
was taught by revelation that the time had arrived for the next and complete 
extension of the Church among all nations. Peter had been labouring, as no 
doubt all the rest of the twelve also (for we have seen that only two were at 
Jerusalem when Saul came thither), in building up the Churches in Judaea and 
Samaria, and the narrative of two miracles which follow in the history makes 
intelligible to us the position of Peter when Cornelius is warned to send for him. 
— Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, pp. 122, 123. 

§ 189. The Healing of iEneas and the Raising of Dorcas. St. Peter 

made his tour of inspection " throughout all parts," Samaria, Galilee, Judaea, 
terminating with Lydda, where he healed, or at least prayed for the healing of 
^Eneas, and with Joppa, where his prayer was followed by the restoration of 
Tabitha or Dorcas, who has given a designation now widely applied to the assist- 
ance which devout women can give to their poorer sisters in Christ. We thus 
see how God by the secret guidance of His Spirit, shaping his course by ways and 
roads known only to Himself, led St. Peter to the house of Simon the tanner, 
where he abode many days. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 96, 97. 

§ 190. St. Peter and Simon the Tanner. When a great change is impending 
various little circumstances occur all showing the tendencies of the age . . . , 
and [when read] ... in the light of accomplished facts, men behold their 
significance. Thus it was with Simon Peter and his visit to Simon the tanner of 
Joppa. Tanners as a class were despised and comparatively outcast among the 
Jews. Tanning was counted an unclean trade because of the necessary contact 
with dead bodies which it involved. A tan yard must, according to Jewish law, 
be separated by fifty yards at least from human dwellings. If a man married a 
woman without informing her of his trade as a tanner, she was granted a divorce. 
The whole trade of tanners was under a ban, and yet it was to a tanner's house 
that the Apostle made his way, and there he lodged for many days, showing that 
the mind even of St. Peter was steadily rising above narrow Jewish prejudices into 
that higher and nobler atmosphere where he learned in fullest degree that no man 
and no lawful trade is to be counted common or unclean. — Stokes; Acts, vol. ii, 
pp. 119, 120. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 10. 59 

THE CONVERSION AND BAPTISM OF CORNELIUS. 

§ 191. The Conversion of Cornelius an Epoch-making Event. Cornelius 
is an important character, as being one of the first to receive Christian Baptism 
without circumcision, ami apparently the first un circumcised convert who was 
received (with his household) into full Christian fellowship. . . . The prominence 
given to the story, the employment of St. Peter in the matter, and his reference to 
it, all show that the event was an epoch in the history of the Church. But 
although Cornelius was certainly uncircumcised, and therefore not a full proselyte, 
he is nevertheless represented as in a near and friendly relation to Judaism. . . . 
Authorities differ as to the requirements made of these persons. Mt they were 
liberally dealt with, and the result of this liberality was the attachment to Judaism 
in a loose way of vast multitudes of " half Jews." ... To the strictest section of 
these half-proselytes Cornelius belonged. It was from their ranks that the 
Christian Church was mainly recruited, and the importance of Cornelius is that he 
leads the way. — Bernard: In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "Cornelius," 
p. 66o<z. 

§ 192. Cornelius Praying, Directed to Send for Peter. During the 
Apostle's stay at Joppa an event occurred destined to have no small influence on 
the spread of the Church. Caesarea, as has already been stated, was the head- 
quarters of the Roman government in Judaea. Among the troops quartered there 
was a cohort of Italians, possibly volunteers, and amongst its officers was a 
centurion named Cornelius, a devout man, who had learned to worship the one 
true Cod, and was well known for his almsgiving and uprightness of life. One 
day, about the ninth hour, the hour of prayer, he beheld in a vision an angel who 
informed him that his prayers and alms were not forgotten before Cod, and bade 
him send for the Apostle, now lodging at Joppa, who would tell him what he 
should do, and inform him concerning that faith which had already excited much 
attention in the neighbourhood. — Maclear : New r Testament History, pp. 396, 397. 

§ 193. The Probable Subject of Cornelius's Prayer. From Cornelius's 
own narrative, vs. 31, as well as from the analogy of Cod's dealings, we are 
certainly justified in inferring, with Neander. that the subject of his prayers was 
that he might be guided into truth, and if so, hardly without reference to that faith 
which was now spreading so widely over Judaea. . . . Further than this, we cannot 
infer with certainty; but, if the peculiar difficulty present in his mind be sought, 
we can hardly avoid the conclusion that it was connected with the apparent 
necessity of embracing Judaism and circumcision in order to become a believer 
on Christ. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. ii, p. 1 1 la. 

§ 194. Peter Sent for by Cornelius. No sooner had Cornelius obtained this 
important and joyful certainty [the knowledge of Peter's whereabouts], than he 
sent two of his slaves, and a soldier that waited on him, ... to fetch the longed- 
for teacher of divine truth. But this divine leading would not have attained its 
end, Peter would not have complied with the request of Cornelius, if he had not 
been prepared . . . by the inward enlightening of the Divine Spirit [through the 
vision on the housetop], to acknowledge and rightly interpret this outward call of 
God. — Xeander . Planting and Training, p. 73. 

§ 195. Peter's Vision. (1) Its Time and Place. — As in ch. 3: 1, we again 
find St. Peter observing the Jewish hours of prayer. The "hunger" mentioned 
in the next verse implies that up to that time he had partaken of no food, and 
makes it probable that it was one of the days, the second and fifth iu the week, 
which the Pharisees and other devout Jews observed as fasts. The flat housetop 
of an Eastern house was commonly used for prayer and meditation, and in a city 



60 The Bible Study Manual. 

like Joppa, and a house like that of the tanner, was probably the only place 
accessible for such a purpose. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 1 71a. 
(2) Its Purpose. — The vision . . . was admirably suited to serve its purpose. 
It based itself . . . on Peter's natural feelings and circumstances, just as spiritual 
things ever base themselves upon and respond to the natural shadows of this 
lower life. . . . Peter was hungry, and a sheet was seen let down from heaven 
containing all kinds of animals, clean and unclean, together with creeping things 
and fowls of heaven. He was commanded to rise and slay and appease his 
hunger. He states the objection, quite natural in the mouth of a conscientious 
Jew, that nothing common or unclean had ever been eaten by him. Then the 
heavenly voice uttered words which si ruck for him the death-knell of the old haughty 
Jewish exclusiveness, inaugurating the grand spirit of Christian liberalism and of 
human equality — "What God hath cleansed, make thou not common." The 
vision was thrice repeated to make the matter sure, and then the heavens were 
shut up again, and Peter was left to interpret the Divine teaching for himself. 
Peter, in the light of the circumstances which a few moments later took place, 
easily read the interpretation of the vision. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 127, 128. 

§ 196. The Symbolic Import of Peter's Vision. The symbolical import of 
this vision we can easily conjecture. The vessel denotes the creation, especially 
mankind; the letting down of it from heaven, the descent of all creatures from 
the same divine origin; the four corners are the four quarters of the globe; the 
clean and unclean beasts represent the Jews and Gentiles; and the command to 
eat contains the divine declaration that the new creation in Christ has henceforth 
annulled the Mosaic laws respecting food, as well as the distinction between 
clean and unclean nations; and that even the heathen, therefore, were to be 
received into the Christian church without the intervention of Judaism, as the 
cloth, with all the animals, was taken up again to heaven. — Schaff : Apostolic 
Church, p. 221. 

§197. Peter in Csesarea; the Practical Application of the Vision. 
Scarce had Peter awaked from his trance and begun to reflect on the meaning of 
this appearance, when the Gentile messengers presented themselves at the door 
of the house. . . . He entertained the strangers, and on the next day went with 
them and six brethren, to Caesarea. Cornelius, who in the mean time had called 
together his kinsmen and near friends, fell upon his knees before the desired 
divine commissioned teacher. . . . After hearing from the centurion the reason 
of his sending for him, perceiving the wonderful coincidence of the two visions, 
and being convinced by his own eyes of the Gentile's humble readiness to receive 
religious instruction, he broke forth in the wonderful words. ..." Of a truth I 
perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth 
him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him." 

Here Peter brings out the principle of the universalism of Christianity in 
opposition to the Jewish particularism. National distinctions, he would say, have 
nothing to do with admission into the kingdom of God. The great requisite is, 
not descent from Abraham, not circumcision, but simply a sincere desire for 
salvation. God looks upon the heart; and to every one who reveres him accord- 
ing to the measure of his knowledge and advantages, and lives accordingly, he 
will graciously show the way to the Saviour, who alone can satisfy the cravings of 
his soul. — Schaff : Apostolic Church, pp. 221, 222. 

§ 198. The Descent of the Spirit upon Cornelius and his Company. 
Peter proceeded to recall to these Gentiles all that they had heard of the preach- 
ing of peace by Jesus Christ the Lord of all; of His life and ministry after the 
baptism of John; how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power; 



Libraiy Extracts o?i Lesson JO. 61 

how He went about doing good, and healing all who were under the tyranny of 
the devil; and then of the Crucifixion and Resurrection from the dead, of which 
the disciples were the appointed witnesses, commissioned by the Voice of their 
risen Lord to testify that lie is the destined Judge of the quick and dead. . . . 
Suddenly on these unbaptised Gentiles no less than on the Jews who were pres- 
ent, fell that inspired emotion of superhuman utterance which was the signature 
of Pentecost. "The Holy Ghost fell upon them." — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 158. 

§ 199. The Baptism of Cornelius and his Company. The gift of the 
Holy Ghost in the case of Cornelius and .his friends preceded Baptism and the 
laying on of hands, and formed St. Peter's justification for baptizing uncircum- 
cised persons. Their hearts were cleansed by faith, and they received the Spirit 
by their faith, not by circumcision f cf. Gal. 3:2; " Received ye the Spirit by the 
works of the law or by the hearing of faith?"). — Bernard: In Smith's Diet. 
Bib., New Ed., Art., " Cornelius," p. 660a. 

JEWISH PREJUDICES SILENCED. 

§ 200. Attitude of the Jews toward the Gentiles. The feeling [of enmity 
toward Gentiles] was widely diffused, and showed itself in forms more or less 
rigorous wherever Jews and heathen came in contact with each other. The strict 
few would not enter a Gentile's house, nor sit on the same couch, nor eat or drink 
out of the same vessel. The very dust of a heathen city was defiling. The 
Hindoo feeling of caste, shrinking from contact with those of a lower grade, 
driven to madness and mutiny by "greased cartridges," presents the nearest 
modern analogue. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 176. 

§ 201. St. Peter Returns to Jerusalem and is Reproached for his Liber- 
ality. It is probable that those who reproached Peter with acting disorderly 
were only a party in the church at Jerusalem who regarded the observance of the 
law of Moses, if not essential to salvation, yet of the greatest importance; and 
specially that the rite of circumcision should be observed first, before' any were 
admitted to either social or church fellowship. They did not censure Peter 
because he had preached the gospel to them, or caused them to be baptized, but 
that he had associated with them. His grave offence was that, contrary to the 
customs of his people, and the commands of the rabbins, he had eaten with the 
uncircumcised. — Ormiston : In Meyer's Commentary, Acts, p. 226. 

§ 202. St. Peter Justifies his Action. He set the rigid Jewish Christians at 
rest respecting his conduct, by giving them a full account of the whole wonderful 
transaction, so that they also praised God, that he had given repentance and the 
Holy Ghost to the Gentiles. And now that God himself had so plainly broken 
down the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles, and had glorified his grace in 
the latter, the narrow Judaism, which made circumcision the condition of salva- 
tion, became henceforth a formal heresy. — S chaff ; Apostolic Church, p. 223. 

§ 203. The Gentiles Made Partakers of the Promise. The event recorded 
in this chapter was an important crisis in the progress of Christianity. Hitherto 
it had won its way among Jews, and through their instrumentality, so that it 
might be regarded as a peculiar Jewish sect; but now it was to be presented as 
a religion for the race, Jew and Gentile alike — a worship for the world. All 
restrictions of every kind were now to be removed, and the universal adaptation 
and power of the gospel was to be proclaimed and exemplified. What seems to 
us simple as a self-evident truth was then a mystery — that the Gentiles should be 
"partakers of the promise in Christ by the Gospel." — Ormiston: In Meyer's 
Commentary, Acts, p. 216. 



62 The Bible Study Manual. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 204. Memorials before God. The most enduring monuments that men 
erect are not built in this world but in the next. J hey consist of that which men 
usually value least, but which God prizes most — prayers and alms. Not prayers 
alone, that is, the inner life in its relations to God, nor alms alone, that is, the 
outward life in its relation to men, but prayers and alms, faith and works, man's 
whole life in its higher as well as in its lower relations. 

§ 205. Prejudices are Narrowing, Truth is Broadening. In so far as 
men surrender themselves to prejudices they become narrow and intolerant. 
Spiritual enlargement is experienced only when men break through their preju- 
dices, and humbly follow the guidance of truth. Had Peter stubbornly clung to 
his inherited prejudices, he would not have lodged with a tanner nor eaten with 
an uncircumcised Gentile, and he would have missed the blessing in store for him 
in both places. 

§ 206. Revelation is Progressive. It was necessary until the coming of 
Christ that Israel should be kept a peculiar people; hence the Mosaic law. The 
law of separation having accomplished its work, the barriers were removed, and 
henceforth the elect of God are " Whosoever will." 

§ 207. The Holy Spirit, the Guide to Truth. In fulfillment of Christ's 
promise (Jo. 16: 3) the Holy Spirit became the guide of the church into a more 
perfect understanding of the nature and scope of God's revelation through Christ. 
So the Spirit is still the agent whereby the church and the world experience each 
fresh illumination, and each new uplifting of humanity toward God. 

§ 208. The Equality of Men before God. Peter and the church in Jeru- 
salem were first taught this important truth through the vision at Joppa. We 
accept it, nominally at least, although even in Christian lands it is difficult to 
realize it in actual life. The caste feeling is not confined to India. Could the 
divine estimate of man prevail among men, it would revolutionize society. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. C/Esarea, Its Location and Extent : Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. ii, 
pp. 102, 103 ; Ency. Brit., vol. iv, Art., " Ccesarea Palestina." 2. THE SPIRITUAL 
Attitude of Cornelius at the Time of the Angel's Visit: Schaff, History 
of the Apostolic Church, pp. 219, 220; Meyer, Commentary, Acts, pp. 201, 202. 3. 
The Significance of Peter's Vision at Joppa: Lange, Commentary, Acts, pp. 
195, 196. 4. Does Peter in Acts 10 : 34, 35 Teach that All Religions Are 
of Equal Value: Lange, Commentary, Acts, pp. 204,205. 5. The Importance 
of the Conversion of Cornelius: Meyer, Commentary, Acts pp. 202, 203. 



Lesson 11. -THE ESTABLISHING OF A GENTILE CHUKCH IN 

ANTIOOH. Further Results of the Great Persecution 

in Jerusalem. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 209. Design of the Lesson. To show how the influence of the persecu- 
tion in Jerusalem extended beyond Palestine, and, through the preaching of those 
who were scattered abroad, resulted in the establishment of a church in Antioch 
of Syria into which Gentiles were freely received without submitting to the 
requirements of the Jewish law. 



Libra?-)' Extracts on Lesson II. 63 

§210. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Recall the effect of the 
persecution in Jerusalem, — the work in Samaria, the conversion of the Ethiopian 
eunuch, and the spread of the gospel throughout Palestine, — and call attention 
to the fact that in this lesson we study its still more remote effects. 

(2) Note that the men who came to Antioch preaching the gospel were Hel- 
lenists, and presumably not bound by the rigid notions of the Palestinian Jews, 
and that when they found themselves in the midst of a vast pagan population they 
naturally followed the impulse of their Christian love and proclaimed Christ to 
the Gentiles also. 

(3) Point out the special fitness of the Hellenist, Barnabas, for the mission on 
which he was sent by the church at Jerusalem, and give him credit for his sagacity 
in calling Saul from his obscurity into this conspicuous work in the capital of 
Western Asia. 

(4) Be careful not to leave the impression that the church thus founded was 
composed wholly of Gentile converts, but make it clear that it is called a Gentile 
church, because it was the first in which Jews and uncircumcised Gentiles stood 
on the same footing. 

(5) Show the triumph of the gospel over its enemies, in the fact that the name 
Christian, now the most honorable title in the world, was originally bestowed in 
ridicule and scorn. 

(6) Show finally how this church at Antioch immediately manifested its true 
Christian spirit by its sympathetic liberality toward its depressed sister churches in 
Judea. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
THE ESTABLISHING OF A GENTILE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH. 

§211. Antioch in Syria. (1) Its situation. — This metropolis was situated 
where the chain of Lebanon, running northwards, and the chain of Amanus, 
running southwards from the Taurus, are brought to an abrupt meeting. Here 
the Orontes breaks through the mountains; and Antioch was placed at a bend of 
the river, partly on an island, partly on the level which forms the left bank, and 
partly on the steep and craggy ascent of Mount Silpius, which rose abruptly on 
the south. — Ilowson and Wilson : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., 
" Antioch," p. 152^. 

(2) Jts Splendor. — Antioch was . . . in point of situation, architectural mag- 
nificence, and resources of enjoyment, ranked after Rome and Alexandria as the 
next city of its time. . . . The city itself, abounding in fine buildings, seems to 
have been for nothing so remarkable in this direction as for its streets and por- 
ticoes, which were styled " golden," with reference to the splendour of the col- 
umns, and perhaps, more literally, to the application of gold as a means of orna- 
mentation. The principal street traversed the entire length of the city from east 
to west, a distance of about 4 miles, having four parallel rows of columns, form- 
ing a broad road in the middle open to the sky, and on each side a narrower 
covered way or portico. Tlje road in the middle was laid with granite in the time 
of Antoninus Pius. Erom this* main street others branched off at intervals up to 
the higher part of the town on the one hand, and down towards the river on the 
Othet — Murray : In Ency. Brit., vol. ii, Art., "Antioch," p. 131. 



64 The Bible Study Manual. 

(3) Its Suburb Daphne. — The chief retreat of pleasure was the cypress grove 
of Daphne, at a distance of between 4 and 5 miles, but connected with the city 
by a suburb called Heraclea, the road passing among the beautiful villas, gardens 
with fountains, hot springs, medicinal wells, brooks, and, in short, if we may 
trust the ancient writers who speak from personal observation, every combination 
of salubrity and beauty. Seleucus Nicator had laid out the grove of Daphne, 
and erected in it a temple of Apollo and Diana. ... In the temple of Apollo 
was a colossal statue of that god. — Murray; In Ency. Brit., vol. ii, Art., 
" Antioch," p. 131^. 

(4) Its Immorality. — A system of gods, combining both Asiatic and Hellenic, 
had been formed in the beautiful capital of Syria, Antioch on the Orontes, with 
its "half-barbaric " population, i. e. of Greeks and Asiatics mixed. In the neigh- 
bouring seat of pleasure, Daphne, with its groves of cypress and laurel, rich in 
springs, where nature herself invited to a life of wanton enjoyment, Astarte and 
Apollo were worshiped; but their rite resembled that of Baal and Astarte. 
Daphne was noted throughout the whole of the ancient world, and the people of 
Daphne had become proverbial for their luxurious festivals, unbridled debauchery, 
and unnatural vices, which the kings of Syria and their subjects rivalled one 
another in displaying there to the glory of the god; and it continued so under 
the Roman rule. — Dollinger : Gentile and Jew, vol. i, p. 432. 

§212. The Gospel Preached by Hellenists to the Gentiles at Antioch. 

While the majority of the Christians scattered by the persecution, however far 
they might penetrate into the distant country, preached the word of Christ exclu- 
sively to the Jews, there was yet among them certain men out of Cyprus and 
Cyrene, consequently converted Hellenists, who in Antioch, whither they had 
come, spoke also with Hellenes (heathen), preaching the gospel of the Lord 
Jesus. . . . [This term] can only refer to uncircumcised heathen. It is possible 
that many of these were already " proselytes of the gate " [see Library Extracts on 
Lesson 7, §136], but this was a relation which was perfectly free. There may, 
with equal probability, have been some among them who had never yet entered a 
synagogue. If the gospel were preached to such as these, the last step had 
already been taken, and the word of Christ had come to the heathen. . . . 

Under the divine guidance, one step after another had been taken towards 
carrying the gospel out of the region of purely orthodox Judaism, through many 
border lands, at it were, into the country proper of heathenism. The instruments 
of God were . . . Hellenists, i. e. Jews who by place of residence, language, 
and education, stood nearer to the heathen, and were therefore . . . called to be 
" mediators between Judaism and heathenism." — lechler : Apostolic and Post- 
Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 116, 117, 119. 

§ 213. News of the Work at Antioch Received in Jerusalem. We see 
a clear indication that the events at Antioch happened subsequently to those at 
Csesarea, in the manner in which the news .was received at Jerusalem. There 
seems to have been no strife, no discussion, no controversy. The question had 
been already raised and decided after St. Peter's return. So the apostles simply 
select a fitting messenger to go forth with the authority of the apostles and tc 
complete the work which, having been initiated in baptism, merely now de- 
manded that imposition of hands which, as we have seen in the case of the 
Samaritan converts, was one of the special functions of the apostles and the 
chiefs of the Church at Jerusalem. And in choosing Barnabas the apostles made 
a wise choice. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, p. 155. • • 

§ 214. Barnabas Sent to Antioch; Saul Brought to his Aid. They [the 
Apustles at Jerusalem] did not send one of the original Twelve, because not one 



Library Extracts on Lesson II. 65 

of them was fitted for the peculiar work now demanded. They were all . . . 
devoid of that wide and generous training which God had given to Barnabas. 
. . . He was a Hellenistic "few, and he could sympathise with the wider feelings 
and ideas of the Hellenists. He was a man of Cyprus, a friend and perhaps 
connexion of many, both Jews and Gentiles, among those whose new-born faith 
and hope were now in question. . . . 

Barnabas had another virtue too. He knew his own weakness. . . . He felt 
his want of the active vigorous mind of his friend of boyhood . . . Saul. He 
knew where he was living in comparative obscurity and silence : so after a little 
experience of the atmosphere of Antioch he departed to Tarsus to seek for him 
and bring him back where a great work was awaiting [him J. . . . Saul of Tarsus 
possessed ... a powerful, a logical, and a creative intellect. He realised from 
the beginning what his own principles meant and to what they were leading him. 
He taught not Judaism or the Law with an addition merely about Jesus of Naza- 
reth. He troubled not himself about circumcision or the old covenant, but he 
taught from the very beginning Christ Jesus, Christ in His divine and human 
nature, Christ in His various offices, Jesus Christ as the one hope for mankind 
[and was therefore especially fitted for this work among Gentiles in Antiochj. — 
Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 155— 157, 159. 

§215. Spiritual Results a Proof of the Divine Favor. [BarnabasJ was 
kind in disposition; the inspiration of his service was not ecclesiastical pride or 
ambition, but love and good-will; full of and ready to be guided by the Spirit of 
God; and of faith or spiritual insight, the power which sees the things that are 
unseen, and hence was able to appreciate the spiritual. For these reasons he 
accepted the grace of God, literally the grace which was of God (Alford), mani- 
fested by the spiritual changes wrought in the character of the uncircumcised 
Greeks, as an evidence of the Divine approval which far outweighed his precon- 
ceived opinions as to the ecclesiastical regularity of the proceedings. The lesson 
for us is that spiritual results are always to be accepted with thanksgiving, 
whatever the seeming ecclesiastical irregularity of the method, and that they will 
be thus accepted by those whose religion is one characteristically of faith in God 
and good-will toward man. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 135^. 

§216. The Origin of the Name "Christians." The word Christian 
occurs in the X. T. only three times; here [in the above passage, Acts 11 : 26]; 
in Agrippa's sarcastic response to Paul, " Almost thou persuadest me to be a 
Christian" (Acts 26:28); and in 1 Pet. 4: 16, "If any man suffer as a Chris- 
tian." The use of the term in the two latter passages, and the fact that it is never 
used by the disciples in speaking of themselves, indicates that it was first employed 
as a term of opprobrium. It could not have been given by the Jews, for the term 
Christian (anointed one) was one of honor among the Jews, by whom the dis- 
ciples were known as the "sect of the Nazarenes; " and Julian the Apostate 
later forbade their use of the name Christian, and decreed that they should be 
called Galileans. The inhabitants of Antioch are said to have been notorious for 
employing names of derision; and the probability is that this name was invented 
by the heathen of that city, in derision of the central doctrine of the new sect, 
the redemption offered through Christ Jesus, but was accepted and made an 
honored name by the disciples. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 136^. 

THE FAMINE. RELIEF SENT FROM ANTIOCH TO JUDEA. 

§217. The Gift of Prophecy. [These prophets were] inspired teachers in 
the early Christian church, referred to in the Acts, and in the P^pistles of Paul. 



66 The Bible Study Manual. 

They might be of either sex. The foretelling of future events was not the usual 
form which their inspiration took, but that of an exalted and superhuman teach- 
ing, ranked by St. Paul above ' speaking with tongues,' in being the utte7'ance of 
their own consc'ious intelligence informed by the Holy Spirit. This inspiration was 
however, occasionally, as here, and in ch. 21 : io, made the vehicle of prophecy, 
properly so called. [Agabus was] the same who prophesied Paul's imprisonment 
in Jerusalem [nothing further is known of him J. — Alford : Greek Testament, 
vol. ii, p. 129. 

§ 218. The Famine Foretold by Agabus; Fulfillment of his Prophecy. 
This famine is mentioned by Josephus, who tells how Helena, queen of Adiabene, 
being at Jerusalem, succored the people by procuring for them corn from Alex- 
andria and a cargo of figs from Cyprus. The date of this severe famine was 
A.D. 45. Though one region might be specially afflicted by the failure of its crops, 
all the rest of the Roman empire would be sure to suffer in some degree at the 
same time, and especially where famines were, as at this time, of frequent recur- 
rence. — Ltimby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 145. 

§ 219. Alms Sent to Judea by the Church at Antioch. God did not 

suffer His own Christian people, probably the poorest and certainly most disre- 
garded in that country, to perish in the great distress. . . . The Gentile disciples 
felt that they were bound by the closest link to those Jewish brethren whom 
though they had never seen they loved. " For if the Gentiles had been made 
partakers of their spiritual things, their duty was also to minister unto them in 
carnal things." No time was lost in preparing for the coming calamity. AH the 
members of the Christian community, according to their means, " determined to 
send relief," Saul and Barnabas being chosen to take the contribution to the 
elders at Jerusalem. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 127. 

Baumgarten, in tracing the gradual transition of the apostolic narrative from 
Jewish to Gentile Christianity, calls this contribution, sent from Antioch to Jeru- 
salem, the first stretching out of the hand by the Gentile world across the ancient 
gulf which separated it from Israel. . . . The church at Jerusalem was poor, 
probably in connexion with the community of goods, which would soon have this 
effect. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. ii, p. 12,0a. 

§220. Elders in the Early Church. (1) Duties of the Office. — The elders, 
or presbyters, in the official sense cf the term, were those appointed in the first 
churches to watch over their general discipline and welfare. With reference to 
that duty, they were called also superintendents, or bishops. The first was their 
Jewish appellation, transferred to them perhaps from the similar class of officers 
in the synagogues; the second was their foreign appellation, since the Greeks 
employed it to designate such relations among themselves.. In accordance with 
this distinction, we find the general rule to be this : those who are called elders in 
speaking of Jewish communities are called bishops in speaking of Gentile com- 
munities. Hence the latter term is the prevailing one in Paul's Epistles. — 
Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 180. 

(2) The Occasion of the Office. — The elders are abruptly mentioned in vs. 30, 
without any statement of the mode in which they came into office. We may, 
however, conjecture that a procedure was adopted in this respect which resembled 
the one described in ch. 6 : 1-6, when the Seven were chosen in Jerusalem. The , 
congregations which were formed beyond the limits of the city of Jerusalem, 
undoubtedly needed, at the earliest period, a certain organization and rules of 
government, as distinct societies; and even in the Holy City itself, the Christians 
may have become conscious of the need of rulers and guides, in order that the 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson II. 6y 

apostles might be at liberty to devote themselves entirely to their special vocation. 
— Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, Acts, pp. 221, 222. 

§221. The Return of Barnabas and Saul to Antioch. Faul and Barna- 
bas made this journey to Jerusalem probably near the beginning of the year 
a.d. 45; for the famine commenced at the close of the preceding year, and the 
supplies collected in anticipation of that event would naturally be forwarded 
before the distress began to be severe. That the journey took place about this 
time results from its being mentioned in connection with Herod's death. The 
two friends appear to have remained at Jerusalem but a short time, as may be 
inferred from tne object of their mission, and still more decisively from the 
absence of any allusion to this journey in Gal. 2: I sq. — Hackett : Commentary, 
Acts, p. 156. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 222. " Truth Crushed to Earth Will Rise Again." How little the un- 
believing Jews in Jerusalem who sought to stamp out Christianity by fierce perse- 
cution dreamed that their efforts would not only fail so far as Jerusalem itself was 
concerned, but that these efforts would result in establishing churches throughout 
Judea, among the detested Samaritans, and even among the despised Gentiles. 

§ 22$. The Humblest Means Used for the Greatest Purposes. The dis- 
ciples through whom Christianity passed from the Jewish into the Gentile world 
were not the apostles at Jerusalem, but certain obscure believers of whom not 
even the names have been preserved, but who obeyed the promptings of their 
loving hearts, and without asking leave of anybody, simply did the duty that 
seemed to lie next to them. 

§ 224. No Place Too Hard for the Gospel to Win Shining Victories. 
Antioch, famous for its wealth and luxury but above all for its unparalleled licen- 
tiousness, might have been thought one of the last places to be influenced by the 
gospel; nevertheless it was the first great city outside of Jerusalem to welcome 
the truth, and not only to witness the establishment of a flourishing church, but 
one that became in the providence of God, the mother church of Gentile 
Christianity. 

§ 225. The Gospel the Power of God for the Transformation of Hu- 
manity. The success that attended the preaching of those nameless disciples in 
Antioch was not due to anything in themselves. Only the power of God could 
so transform and inspire the hearts and lives of men in Antioch that out of them 
should go forth streams of unselfish love and ennobling beneficence. 

§ 226. The Name " Christian." This name, given probably in derision, is 
now borne proudly by the most enlightened and civilized nations in the world. 
No one of us would feel complimented to be called a heathen or a Moham- 
medan, hut to be a Christian in name only, and not in the highest and truest 
sense, is to be responsible for the abuse of the greatest privileges that God has 
bestowed on men. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Ancient Antioch and the Grove of Daphne: Farrar, Life of St. Paul, 
pp. 162-166; Ency. Brit., vol. ii, Art., "Antioch"; Wallace, Ben-Hur, Bk. iv, chs. 5, 6. 
2. Barnabas, his Character and Work: 6iokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. i, pp. 
219-221; vol. ii, pp. 155-157. 3. The Epistle of Barnabas: Ency. Brit., vol. ii, 
Art., " Apostolic Fathers." 4. The Name " Christian," its Origin and Signifi- 
cance: I-arrar, Life of St. Paul, pp. 167-169. 5. DURATION AND EXTENT OF THE 
Famine: \ea?tder, Planting and Training, pp. 105, 106; Thatcher, History of the 
Apostolic Church, p. 116. 



68 The Bible Study Manual. 

Lesson 12. - PAITH AND MOEALS IN THE JEWISH CHUKCHES. 

The Epistle of James, the Lord's Brother. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 227. Design of the Lesson. To learn from the epistle of Jarrfes the social 
and religious condition of the Jewish Christian churches about the middle of the 
first century. 

§228. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the lesson 
gather up the main facts concerning the apostle James — his life before and after 
his conversion, his character, his reputation among all classes of Jews for stern 
and ascetic sanctity, and the traditions respecting his influence and death. 

(2) Read the entire epistle of James, if possible at a single sitting, and mark 
its general contents; then notice to whom it is addressed, and that it was not 
written to teach Christian doctrines, but to improve the moral and religious lives 
of its readers. Note alsothe special reasons that impelled James to address such 
warnings, comforts, and exhortations to these Jewish Christians. 

(3) In teaching the lesson call attention briefly to the facts thus gathered up, 
and show how the letter incidentally reflects the social and religious condition of 
those to whom it was written, for we cannot believe that the reproofs and exhor- 
tations in it are evoked by imaginary situations. 

(4) Show from these incidental inferences the social and moral state of these 
Jewish Christians, their virtues and their faults, the temptations to which they 
were peculiarly exposed, as well as the trials which they were forced to bear. 

(5) Emphasize the fact that notwithstanding the unsatisfactory condition into 
which these churches had fallen, James has confidence in them, because under- 
neath many deplorable errors and grave faults lay the solid foundation of a real 
faith in Christ. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 

§ 229. The Writer of the Epistle. In calling himself simply James and 
describing himself only as the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, his 
self-designation would only be intelligible to the readers on the supposition that 
he was the Lord's brother, who by his authoritative position at the head of the 
Church in Jerusalem, possessed such pre-eminence that it was not necessary to 
distinguish himself from others of the same name. It is only in the case of one 
who was regarded by all Jewish Christians as the supreme authority, that it is 
conceivable how he could address himself to all the believing Jews of the Diaspora 
[the Jews scattered abroad] with words of such earnest reproof and warning. . . . 
The whole doctrinal peculiarity of the Epistle is entirely in keeping with the his- 
torical portrait of this James in whom alone, on account of his legal piety, the 
Messianic faith seems to have fulfilled the ideal of a genuine Israelite. — Weiss : 
Introduction, New Testament, vol. ii, pp. in, 112. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 12. 69 

§ 230. Early Traditions Concerning St. James. He was holy from his 
mother's womb; he drank not wine or strong drink, nor did he eat animal food; a 
razor came not upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil; he did not use 
the bath. He alone might go into the holy place; for he wore no woolen clothes, 
but linen. And alone he used to go into the Temple, and there he was commonly 
found upon his knees, praying for forgiveness for the people, so that his knees 
grew dry and thin (generally translated hard) like a camel's, from his constantly 
bending them in prayer and entreating forgiveness for the people. On account 
therefore of his exceeding righteousness he was called 'Just' and 'Oblias,' which 
means in Greek ' the bulwark of the people,' and ' righteousness,' as the prophets 
declare of him. — Hegesippus : In Eusebius'b Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii, p. 23. 

§ 231. St. James a Pattern of Jewish Christian Piety. We must attribute 
to James a completely legal, particularly an ascetic piety. . . . The persistent 
supplication for forgiveness for the people of Israel is manifestly a purely 
Christian feature; for the guilt for which he entreated forgiveness cannot fitly 
be found except in unbelief and the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. This 
prayer had therefore its origin in faith, and at the same time in a feeling of heart- 
felt piety, and in a genuine Christian character. . . . The second feature is the 
universal Old Testament piety, which may be inferred chiefly from the impression 
that his mode of life and action made upon the Israelites by whom he was sur- 
rounded, on account of which he received the honourable title, " the Righteous 
One." In the narrative of Hegesippus he is seven times called "just," sometimes 
even "the just" absolutely, not James the just. At that period of Israelitish his- 
tory, the name denoted those who kept the Mosaic commands blamelessly. — 
Lechler : Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 60, 61. 

§ 232. Those Addressed in the Epistle. The letter which bears the name 
of James purports to be addressed to the " twelve tribes that are scattered 
abroad" (literally in the dispersion). No other Epistle takes so wide a range. 
. . . [It] is, in the fullest sense of the word, a Catholic or Universal Epistle. 

On the other hand, there seems, at times, to be an implied limitation. He 
writes to those who "hold the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ," (ch. 2: 1), who 
have His worthy (or noble) Name called upon them (ch. 2: 7), who live in the 
expectation of His coming (ch. 5 : 7). Seen from one point of view, the Epistle 
seems a call to the outward Israel, such as the preaching of the Baptist had been, 
to be true to their calling, to live by the light they had, to conquer the besetting 
sins of their race. Seen from another, it is an earnest appeal to the Israelites 
who had accepted Jesus as the Christ, to be on their guard, lest those sins should 
reappear in the new society of the church of God. From yet a third stand-point 
it seems to be addressed specially to the Churches of Judaea. It speaks of forms 
of persecution and oppression, which obviously refer directly to the acts of vio- 
lence that followed on the death of Stephen, and were renewed under Herod 
Agrippa I. — Plumptre : In Cambridge Bible, James, Int., p. 35. 

§ 233. The Purpose of the Epistle Not Doctrinal, but Ethical. The 
main object of the Epistle is not to teach doctrine, but to improve morality. St. 
James is the moral teacher of the N. T.; not in such sense a moral teacher as not 
to be at the same time a rnaintainer and teacher of Christian doctrine, but yet 
mainly in this Epistle a moral teacher, like the author of the Teaching of the 
Apostles, a generation later. There are two ways of explaining this characteristic 
of the Epistle. Some commentators and writers see in St. James a man who had 
not realised the essential principles and peculiarities of Christianity, but was in a 
transition state, half-Jew and half-Christian. . . . But there is another and more 



70 The Bible Study Manual. 

natural way of accounting for the fact. St. James was writing for a special class 
of persons, and knew what that class especially needed; and therefore, under the 
guidance of God's Spirit, he adapted his instructions to their capacities and wants. 
— Meyrick : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "James, General Epistle of," 
p. 1522a. 

SOCIAL ANO MORAL CONDITION OF THE JEWISH CHRISTIANS. 

§ 234. Jewish Christians ; Significance of the Term. We call the 
believers, of whom we here speak, "Jewish-Christians," in accordance with 
universal usage. But this name has reference only to national descent, and not 
to view or tendency. ... It is natural to -conclude that birth and education, 
intercourse and custom, determine even the opinion and tendency of man; and 
that the Jewish-Christians must have been influenced by their descent in their 
entire conception of divine things and in their religious position. Only we must 
not forget that this influence might be moderate, sound, and true; or exaggerated, 
sickly, and false. In the former case, we speak simply of Jewish-Christian ten- 
dency. In the latter case, the tendency is characterized as "Judaizing" or 
"Judaistic." . . . But just as a man might be a Jewish-Christian without having a 
Judaistic tendency, so, on the other hand, a Christian might Judaize without being 
born a Jew, as e. g. the Gentile Christians in Galatia who suffered themselves to be 
led astray by Judaizing false teachers. — Lechler : Apostolic and Post- Apostolic 
Times, vol. i, pp. 35, 36. 

§ 235. Relation of the Jewish Christians to their Unbelieving Breth- 
ren. Believers . . . were originally, as a society, nothing but a limited company 
of like-minded Israelites among the people of God, who saw the Messiah in Jesus 
of Nazareth, and did homage to Him. Notwithstanding the fact that they were 
closely united among themselves, they still remained, as before, members of the 
civil and religious national community of Israel. They were in a certain sense 
only a party, a sect within the national community of Israel, which was compre- 
hensive and tolerant towards all varieties and differences, and with which they 
purposed remaining in external and internal life-association. — Lechler : Apostolic 
and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, p. 108. 

§ 236. Two Reasons Why St. James Addressed the Jewish Christians. 
St. James, living in the centre of Jerusalem, saw what were the chief sins and 
vices of his countrymen; and, fearing that his flock might share in them, he lifted 
up his voice to warn them against the contagion from which they net only might, 
but did in part, suffer. This was his main object; but there is another closely 
connected with it. As Christians, his readers were exposed to trials which they 
did not bear with the patience and faith that would have become them. 

Here then are the two objects of the Epistle — I, to warn against the sins to 
which as Jews they were most liable; 2, to console and exhort them under the 
sufferings to which as Christians they were most exposed. The warnings and 
consolations are mixed together, for the writer does not seem to have set himself 
down to compose an essay or a letter of which he had previously arranged the 
heads; but, like one of the old Prophets, to have poured out what was uppermost 
in his thoughts, or closest to his heart, without waiting to connect his matter, or 
to throw bridges across from subject to subject. — Meyrick: In Smith's Diet. 
Bib., New Ed., Art., "James, General Epistle of," p. 1522. 

§ 237. The Situation of the Jewish Christians as Discussed in the 
Epistle. The situation of these Judceo-Christian churches or congregations, as 
discernible in the Epistle, was this. They were tried by manifold trials, ch. I : 2. 
We are hardly justified in assuming that they were entirely made up of poor, on 



Library Extracts on Lesson 12. 71 

account of ch. 2 : 6, 7 : indeed the former verses of that chapter seem to shew, 
that rich men were also found among them. However, this probably was so for 
the most part, and they were oppressed and dragged before the judgment-seats 
by the rich, which trials they did not bear with that patience and humility which 
might have been expected of them as Christians, nor did they in faith seek wisdom 
from God concerning them : but regarded Him as their tempter, and their lowli- 
ness as shame, paying carnal court to the rich, and despising the poor. — Alford: 
Greek Testament, vol. iv, Prolegomena, p. 100. 

§ 238. The Faults of the Jewish Christians. The Jewish vices against 
which he [James] warns them are — Formalism, which made the service of God 
consist in washings and outward ceremonies, whereas he reminds them (1:27) 
that it consists rather in Active Love and Purity . . . ; Fanaticism, which under 
the cloak of religious zeal was tearing Jerusalem to pieces ( 1 : 20) ; Fatalism, 
which threw its sins on God (1 : 13) ; Meanness, which crouched before the rich 
(2:2); Falsehood, which had made words and oaths playthings (3:2-12); 
Partisanship (3:14); Fvil-speaking (4:11); Boasting (4:16); Oppression 
(5:4). The great lesson which he teaches them, as Christians, is Patience — 
Patience in trial (1:2); Patience in good works (1 : 22-25) ; Patience under 
provocations (3: 17); Patience under oppression (5:7); Patience under perse- 
cution (5 : 10) ; and the ground of their Patience is, that the Coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh, which is to right all wrongs (5: 8). — Meyrick : In Smith's Diet. 
Bib., New Fd , Art , " James, General Epistle of," p. 1 522^. 

§ 239. Their Sins of the Tongue. These sins of the tongue among Jews 
and Christians sprang in a great measure from the obtrusive rivalries, the con- 
tentious ambitions to which he [James] had alluded in the first verse [4:1]. . . . 
And because this factiousness shows an absence of true wisdom amid the pride 
of its imagined presence, he proceeds to contrast the false and the true wisdom. 
True wisdom, true understanding, is shown by a course of life spent in meekness, 
which is the attribute of wisdom. For a man to boast of wisdom when his heart 
is full of bitter emulation and party spirit is a lying vaunt. The wisdom of 
which he thus blasts is not, at any rate, the heavenly wisdom of the Christian, 
but earthly, animal, demon-like. The wisdom which evinces itself in party spirit 
leads to unhallowed chaos and every contemptible practice. — Farrar : Early 
Days of Christianity, p. 338. 

§ 240. Their Ambition to be Teachers. It was natural that those who had 
seized a Shibboleth [sahation by faith], of which they neither fathomed the full 
depth nor even rightly understood the superficial meaning, should endeavour to 
force it upon others with irate, obtrusive, and vehement dogmatism. This "itch 
of teaching," this oracular egotism, is the natural result of vanity and selfishness 
disguising themselves under the cloak of Gospel proselytism. With all such 
men words take the place of works, and dogmatising contentiousness of peace 
and love. Therefore he warns them against being many teachers — self-con- 
stituted ministers — "other peoples' bishops " — persons of that large class who 
assume that no incompetence is too absolute to rob them of the privilege of 
infallibility in laying down the law of truth for others. — Farrar : Early Days of 
Christianity, p. 337. 

§ 241. Their " Wars and Fightings." (1) As might have been expected, 
such worldliness of spirit gave rise to strifes and dissensions among them, and to 
a neglect of self-preservation from the evil in the world, imagining that their 
Christian faith would suffice to save them, without a holy life. — Alford: Greek 
Testament, vol. iv, Prolegomena, p. 100. 



72 The Bible Study Manual. 

(2) We cannot but feel surprise at such a picture as this. Wars, fightings, 
pleasures that are ever setting out as it were on hostile expeditions, disappointed 
desires, frustrate envy and even fruitless murder to supply wants which would 
have been granted to prayer — ■ then, again, prayers utterly neglected or them- 
selves tainted with sin because misdirected to reckless gratification of pleasure, 
and because ruined by contentiousness and selfishness — ail this spiritual adultery, 
the divorce of the soul from God to the love of the world — is this indeed 
a picture of the condition of Christian Churches within thirty years of the death 
of Christ? ... I see no possible solution of the difficulty except in the twofold 
answer — partly that St. James is influenced by the state of things which he saw 
going on around him in Judaea, and partly that he is drawing no marked line of 
distinction between Jews and Christians in the communities which he is addressing. 
— Farrar : Early Days of Christianity, pp. 339, 340. 

§ 242. The General State of the Christians Addressed. The state of 
matters among the Jewish Christians which this letter discloses is not a happy 
one. Not only had the members of the Church suffered, from unexplained 
causes, strange reversals of fortune (1 : 9, 10); but no such attainment in char- 
acter as might be expected of Christians, had been made. Of heathen grossness 
there is indeed no word; but worldly greed and the pride of life and selfish 
cruelty that come of greed abounded (4:1; 5:9). The distinction between rich 
and poor had been accentuated in unseemly angling for rich proselytes (2 : 2), and 
in heartless contempt of the poor (2: 3). And at the root of all lay a content- 
ment with superficial knowledge and bare profession of faith (2: 14), an otiose 
creed, and a practical denial of the truth that life is a training ground for the 
making of "perfected" (1:4) men, and that only by trials or temptations can 
men be trained. — Dods : Introduction, New Testament, p. 190. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 243. " Saved, Yet so as Through Fire." The Jewish Christians whom St. 
James addressed showed in many respects startlingly defective attainments in their 
Christian lives; from an external point of view they would compare quite unfavor- 
ably with the sleek and sanctimonious Pharisees. But they built on what the 
Pharisees with all their self-righteousness rejected, namely, Christ; in the day that 
tries every man's work this foundation remains, even though the entire super- 
structure be consumed (i Cor. 3: 12-15). 

§ 244. Low Attainments vs. High Ideals. The ideal which St. James lifts up 
before his very imperfect readers is nothing less than perfection itself (1 : 4, 25; 
3:2). God does not accommodate the standard of his requirements to the 
measure of our wretched attainments. But to every one who earnestly strives to 
reach the divine standard he gives gracious help and wonderful strength. 

§245. Faith and Works. Faith and works, like prayers and alms (§204), 
are but the inner, or Godward, and the outer, or manward, relations of the one 
and indivisible spiritual life. Either without the other is insufficient in God's 
sight, who demands not a part, but the whole of life. 

§ 246. Keep your Eye on your Tongue. It is the physical medium through 
which the inner man reveals himself more than through all the other members 
together; therefore its subjection, if learned at all, is the hardest and usually the 
last lesson learned in this world, for it implies nothing less than absolute mastery 
over one's self. 



Editorial Notes on Less on 13. 73 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Life am) Character of St. James, the Brother of our Lord: Farrar, 
Early Days of Christianity, ch. 20. 2. AUTHORSHIP OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES: 
Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " James, General Epistle of"; and all leading com- 
mentaries on the epistle. 3. Characteristics and contents of the EPISTLE OF 
[ami:s : Farrar, Earlv Days of Christianity, chs. 21, 22; Lechler, Apostolic and Post- 
Apostolic Times, vol. i, p. 289 ff. 4. SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE EPISTLE OF JAMES 
AND THE SERMON on THE Mount: Dods, Introduction, New Testament, pp. 191, 
192. 5. Religious Life in the Jewish Christian Churches: Lechler, Apos- 
tolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 37-58. 6. SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC Life OF 
the Early Christians : Ibid., pp. 88-108. 7. St. James and St. Paul on Faith 
AND Works : Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, ch. 23. 



Lesson 13.-EEVIEW OF PAETS I, II: LESSONS 1-12. Prom the 

Ascension of Christ until the Establishment of a Gentile 

Chnrch in Antioch. A.D. 30-44. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 247. Design of the Lesson. To make a rapid survey of the Scripture 
material in the lessons reviewed, in order to refresh the memory concerning it and 
to fix it more clearly in mind. If the lessons reviewed have not been well 
studied already, the whole time of the class will be taken up in this general 
survey; but if the lessons have been thoroughly studied from week to week, this 
re-virdj — this looking them over again — can be made very quickly, and time 
can be found for the introduction of some new material naturally connected with 
the lessons studied but not emphasized in them. The suggestions for this review 
are intended to cover both these cases. 

§ 248. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) For the review proper, 
impress on the class the importance of the lesson, urging them to study it care- 
fully and especially to do all the required written-answer work. The questions in 
the Quarterly are designed to bring out all the more important events and steps 
of progress in the history, and if thoroughly studied will do much toward fixing 
them in mind. In connection with these questions and references cultivate the 
law of association, so that each reference or question will suggest other matters 
connected with it. 

(2) Request the class to be prepared to state the contents of the Introductory 
Note to this lesson in the Quarterly, and of the Introductory Notes to Parts I and 
II (see Lessons I and 7). The Introductory Note to this lesson gives a summary 
of the entire history covered by the lessons for the quarter, and the Introductory 
Notes to Parts I and II give their characteristics. All these should be studied 
with care. 

(3) Apportion these Notes among three or more scholars to state their con- 
tents, and ask the others to make any additions that are necessary in order to 



74 The Bible Study Manual. 

bring out all the facts referred to. The class will then have before it a general 
survey of the ground covered during the quarter. 

(4) Afterwards go rapidly over the more complete outline of the history as 
suggested by the questions and Scripture references in the lesson itself. For 
special information concerning the points raised, refer to the Library Extracts in 
the Manual during the quarter, and make use of such portions of them as may 
seem best, adding any suggestions that may occur to you concerning the practical 
lessons of this history. This will finish the review proper. 

§ 249. Important Points to be Aimed at in the General Survey. (1) 
Make it a rapid survey of the entire period covered in the lessons, and of the 
successive steps of progress in the history. 

(2) Note that the time covered is about fifteen years, and that for the first five 
years the gospel was confined exclusively to Jerusalem, while during the remaining 
ten years it spread farther and farther from Jerusalem until it reached Antioch in 
Syria. 

(3) Mark the characteristics of the primitive church in Jerusalem, its extra- 
ordinary prosperity which not even spasmodic exhibitions of hostility on the part 
of the rulers could check; its practical exhibition of Christian love and brother- 
hood which not even the sin of Ananias and Sapphira could mar; and its internal 
unity and peace which not even unfair discriminations against Hellenist widows 
could permanently disturb. 

(4) Point out how the ministry of Stephen formed the transition between 
Parts I and II; how this ministry itself was included in the first Part while its 
results determined the character of the second, in that it precipitated the general 
persecution which extended the church beyond Jerusalem, which took Saul on 
his memorable journey to Damascus, and which eventually brought about the 
establishment of a Gentile church in Antioch. 

(5) Note carefully the steps of progress as the gospel passed beyond the limits 
of Jerusalem — throughout Judea and Samaria, and to Damascus, Phoenicia, 
Cyprus, and Antioch. It will be helpful to indicate these steps of progress by 
different colored pencils or crayons on an outline map drawn for that purpose. 

(6) Show how the Jewish Christians were prepared by the experiences of Peter 
at Joppa and at Caesarea for the admission of Gentiles into the church, and how 
this innovation, so opposed to Jewish prejudices, was first made on a large 
scale at Antioch through the preaching of certain Hellenists, followed by the 
work of Barnabas and Saul. 

(7) Observe that these various steps of progress constituted a divine prepara- 
tion for the next momentous step — the direct evangelization of the Gentile world 
through the missionary labors of Paul and others who aided him in the task. 

(8) Call attention, finally, to the general character of the Jewish Christian 
churches about the middle of the first century, as reflected in the epistle of James, 
and note the moral difficulties against which Christianity had to contend. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 14. -THE PERSECUTION BY HEROD. The Killing of 

James, the Brother of John, and the Miraculous 

Deliverance of Peter. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 250. Design of the Lesson. To show the object and results of the first 
attack on the church by the civil authority; and incidentally to bring to notice 
God's care for Peter, the combined faith and faithlessness of the church, and the 
dreadful death of Herod Agrippa I. 

§ 251. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read attentively the 
narrative in Acts; and also gather what information is available elsewhere con- 
cerning Herod Agrippa I. 

(2) Note that this was the first persecution of the church by the secular power, 
and that its object was to strengthen the king's popularity with the ecclesiastical 
authorities, and with the fanatical Jews generally. 

(3) Show that the seizure of the apostle James, who was conspicuous as one 
of the leaders of the church, was apparently so sudden and unexpected that the 
church did not comprehend its tragic significance until shocked by the news of his 
execution. 

(4) Notice furthermore that this experiment for testing the feelings of the 
Jews proved so satisfactory, that Peter was immediately seized and imprisoned, 
and would probably have shared a similar fate but for the respite occasioned by 
the sanctity of the Passover week, during which executions were not permitted. 

(5) Picture the unspeakable distress and anxiety of the church during this 
week, their importunate appeals to that divine Helper from whom alone rescue 
could come, and their amazement and joy when Peter himself stood among them 
and recounted the marvelous deliverance which he had experienced. 

(6) Call attention, finally, to the terrible death of Herod himself shortly after- 
wards as a divine judgment for his blasphemous impiety. 

75 



76 The Bible Study Manual. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
THE MARTYRDOM OF JAMES, AND PETER'S MIRACULOUS RELEASE. 

§ 252. The Rise of Herod Agrippa I. When Herod Agrippa I. ascended 
the throne of Herod the Great, he had already passed through an eventful and 
adventurous career. He was born in B.C. 10, as the son of Aristobulus, who was 
executed in A.D. 7, and Berenice, a daughter of Salome 'and Costobar. Shortly 
before the death of his grandfather he was, while a boy scarcely six years old, 
sent for his education to Rome. His mother Berenice was there treated in a 
friendly manner by Antonia, the widow of the elder Drusus, while the young 
Agrippa himself became attached to the younger Drusus, the son of the Emperor 
Tiberius. . . . When by the death of Drusus, which took place in A.D. 23, he 
lost support and favour at court, he found himself obliged to leave Rome and go 
back again to Palestine. He betook himself to Malatha, a stronghold in Idumea, 
and meditated committing suicide. . . . [After various adventures, Agrippa] in 
the spring of A.D. 36, and on the island of Capri presented himself before 
Tiberius. The emperor entrusted him with the oversight of his grandson 
Tiberius. He became particularly intimate with Caius Caligula, the grandson of 
his patroness Antonia, who afterwards became emperor. . . . 

With the death of Tiberius and the accession of Caligula began for Agrippa 
the period of his good fortune. Caligula . . . conferred upon him what had 
been the tetrarchy of Philip, and that also of Lysanias, with the title of king. 
... It was not before autumn of A.D. 38 that he went back by way of Alex- 
andria to Palestine, that he might set in order the affairs of his kingdom. ... In 
the autumn of [a.d. 40] . . . we find Agrippa once more at Rome or Puteoli, 
... in the company of Caligula, and [hej was still present in Rome when his 
patron, on 24th January A.D. 41, was murdered by Charea, and contributed not a 
little to secure the succession to the throne of the Caesars of the feeble Claudius. 
. . . The new emperor was obliged, in return, not only to confirm him in the 
possessions which he had previously, but also to add to these Judea and Samaria; 
so that Agrippa now united under his sway the whole territory of his grandfather. 
— Shiirer : Jewish people, 1st Div., vol. ii, pp. 150-154. 

§ 253. Herod's Attitude toward the Pharisees. [By many] displays of 
piety he gave abundant satisfaction to the people who were under the guidance 
of the Pharisees. This was shown in a very striking manner when, at the Feast of 
Tabernacles in A.D. 41, according to the old custom, he read the Book of Deuter- 
onomy, and in the passage, " Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee that is not 
thy brother' 1 (Deut. 17: 15), he burst forth into tears, because he felt himself 
referred to in it. Then cried out the people to him, " Be not grieved, Agrippa ! 
Thou art our brother ! Thou art our brother ! " . . . 

That Agrippa's Pharisaic piety was a real conviction of the heart is, in view of 
his earlier life, not in the least probable. He who had spent fifteen years in 
gaiety and debauchery is not one of whom it could be expected that in the even- 
ing of his days he should from hearty conviction assume the Pharisaic yoke. 
Besides this, we have the most certain proofs that the king's Jewish piety was 
maintained only within the limits of the Holy Land. . . . From a survey of all 
the facts it is evident that his concessions to Pharisaism were purely matters of 
policy. Upon the whole he was a careful imitator of the old Herod, " only 
milder in disposition and somewhat more sly." — Schiirer : Jewish People, 1st 
Div., vol. ii, pp. 157, 160, 162, 163. 

§254. Persecution by Herod: Its Political Origin and Significance. 
At this time they [the Christians] had become equally distasteful to every section 



Library Extracts on Lesson 14. 77 

of the Jews, being regarded not only as fanatics, but as apostates, some of whom 
sat loosely to the covenant which God had made with their fathers. To extirpate 
the Christians would, as Agrippa was well aware, be the cheapest possible way to 
win general popularity. It was accordingly about the very time of the visit of 
the two Apostles to the Passover, as delegates from Antioch, that " he laid hands 
on certain of the Church to injure them; and he slew James, the brother of John, 
with the sword; and seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, proceeded to arrest 
Peter also." Thus in a single touch does St. Luke strike the keynote of Agrippa's 
policy, which was an unscrupulous desire for such popularity as could be earned 
by identifying himself with Jewish prejudices. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 175. 

§255. James, the Martyred Apostle. St. James the Apostle . . . was the 
brother of John and the son of Zebedee. . . . There is very little told us con- 
cerning his life and actions. . . . He was clearly remarkable for his Christian 
privileges. He was one of the apostles specially favoured by our Lord. He was 
admitted by Him into the closest spiritual converse. Thus we find that, with 
Peter and John, James the Apostle was one of the three selected by our Lord to 
behold the first manifestation of His power over the realms of the dead when He 
restored the daughter of Jairus to life : with the same two, Peter and John, he 
was privileged to behold our Saviour receive the first foretaste of His heavenly 
glory upon the Mount of Transfiguration; and with them too he was permitted 
to behold his great Master drink the first draught of the cup of agony in the 
garden of Gethsemane. . . . When Herod wished to harass and vex the Church 
he selected James the brother of John as his victim; and we maybe sure that 
with the keen instinct of a persecutor Herod selected not the least prominent and 
useful, but the most devoted and energetic champion of Christ to satisfy his cruel 
purpose. . . . We know nothing of the good works and brave deeds and power- 
ful sermons he devoted to his Master's cause. We are told simply of the death 
by which he glorified God. All else is hidden with God till that day when the 
secret thoughts and deeds of every man shall be revealed. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, 
pp. 168-170; see also §§229-231, 236, Lesson 12, Manual. 

§ 256. The Martyrdom of James. [James was killed] with the sword, that 
is, by beheading. This was accounted a specially disgraceful mode of punish- 
ment among the Jews. It is a noticeable fact that this James asked for a first 
place in Christ's kingdom, and declared in response to Christ's questioning, that 
he was able to drink of Christ's cup and be baptized with Christ's baptism; and 
that he was the first apostle to suffer a martyr's death, and the only apostle of 
whose death the N. T. gives us any account. It is also noteworthy that Luke, 
who gives a full account of the circumstances of Stephen's death, sums up that of 
James, the apostle, in a single sentence. — Abbott: Commentary, Acts, p. 138^. 

§257. The Arrest and Imprisonment of Peter. (1) It was before the 
Passover that James had been doomed to feel the tyrant's sword. The universal 
approbation of the fact by the Jews — an approbation which would be all the 
more conspicuous from the presence of the vast throngs who came to Jerusalem 
to celebrate the Passover — stimulated the king, to whom no incense was so 
sweet as the voice of popular applause, to inflict a blow yet more terrible by 
seizing the most prominent of all the Apostles. Peter was accordingly, arrested, 
and since there was no time to finish his trial before the Passover, and the Jews 
were not inclined to inflict death by their own act during the Feast, he was kept 
in prison till the seven sacred days had elapsed that he might then be put to death 
with the most ostentatious publicity. Day after day the Apostle remained in close 
custody, bound by either arm to two soldiers, and guarded by two others. Aware 
how irreparable would be the loss of one so brave, so true, so gifted with spiritual 



78 The Bible Sticdy Manual. 

fervour and wisdom, the Christians of Jerusalem poured out their hearts and souls 
in prayer for his deliverance. But it seemed as if it would be in vain. The last 
night of the Feast had come; the dawn of the morning would see Peter brought 
forth to the mockery of trial, and the certainty of death. — Farrar : St. Paul, 
pp. 176, 177. 

(2) The picture of the calm repose of the Apostle as one to whom God had 
given the sleep of His beloved, undisturbed by the fear of coming suffering and 
death, will be felt by most readers to be one of singular interest. — Plumptre : In 
Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 195^. 

§ 258. Roman Prison Guard. The Roman mode of chaining prisoners 
was adopted in this case, and was the following: "The soldier who was appointed 
to guard a particular prisoner had the chain fastened to the wrist of his left hand, 
the right remaining at liberty. The prisoner, on the contrary, had the chain 
fastened to the wrist of his right hand. The prisoner, and the soldier who had the 
care of him, were, said to be tied to one another. Sometimes, for greater security, 
the prisoner was chained to two soldiers, one on each side of him." . . . The 
first watch was a single soldier, before the door, and the second another at the iron 
gate, and . . . these two soldiers, with the two by the side of Peter, made up the 
quaternion then on duty. . . . The soldiers in such a case were answerable for 
the safety of the prisoner, and, if he escaped, were liable to suffer the punishment 
which would have been inflicted on him. — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, pp. 151, 
152, 154. 

§ 259. Peter's Miraculous Deliverance. The time was the night which 
preceded the day on which Peter was to be exhibited to the people. . . . Two 
sentinels . . . occupied the interior of the cell, and the prisoner was tied to 
them; the others stood before the door, and thus the four men composing the 
company were all on guard at the same time. Then an (not the) angel of the 
Lord suddenly stood at the side of the sleeper, and celestial light shone in the 
place. . . . The angel awakens the sleeper by smiting him on the side, and the 
chains at once fall from the hands of the latter. The angel now commands him 
to resume, first of all, the articles of clothing which he had laid aside in order to 
sleep more comfortably — the girdle, sandals, and upper garment, and then directs 
him to follow. Thus Peter, walking behind the angel, first passes beyond the 
door of his prison-cell, without as yet being conscious that all that occurred was 
real, since it appeared to be a vision seen in a dream, vs. 9. Both passed through 
the first and second guard; and here the term " to go through" suggests that each 
station was occupied not merely by one man, but by several, so that it was possible 
to pass through or between them. . . . They reached, at length, the iron gate, 
which conducted them from the precincts of the building into the city; after it 
had opened spontaneously to them . . . , they entered an open place, and con- 
tinued to walk together along one street; but then the angel suddenly disappeared 
from the side of the apostle. — Lechler : In Lange's Commentary, Acts, p. 228^. 

"THE POWER OF PRAYER, AND THE WEAKNESS OF FAITH." 

§ 260. The Midnight Prayer-meeting. (1) This was a midnight assembly 
of the Christians, either for fear of their Jewish enemies, or more probably on 
account of the pressing necessity and importance of the case. The primitive 
Christians in those times of peril held their sacred assemblies in the night season; 
and afterwards in peaceful times these nocturnal assemblies were continued, owing 
to their greater solemnity, and on account of a prevalent persuasion that the Lord 
Jesus would come during the night. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. i, pp. 419, 
420. 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 14. 79 

(2) When St. Peter was released "he came to the house of Mary, where many 
were gathered together and were praying," though the night must have been far 
advanced. . . . And [yet] . . . how true to nature their scepticism ! They were 
gathered praying for Peter's release, but so little did they expect an answer to 
their prayers that, when the answer does come, and in the precise way that they 
were asking for it and longing for it, they are astonished, and tell the maid- 
servant who bore the tidings, "Thou art mad." — Stokes: Acts, vol. ii, pp. 175, 
182. 

§261. The Theory of Guardian Angels. The language ["it is his angel"] 
expresses the common belief of the Jews, that every true Israelite had a guardian 
angel specially assigned to him, who, when he appeared in human form, assumed 
the likeness of the man whom he protected. It is obvious that the record of the 
casual utterance of such a belief cannot be taken as an authoritative sanction of 
it. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 197^, 198a. 

HEROD'S MISERABLE DEATH. 

§262. The Festival at Csesarea, and the Death of Herod. The country 
did not long enjoy his [Herod's] rule. After he had reigned little more than 
three years, if we reckon from A.D. 41, he died at Caesarea very suddenly in A.D. 
44. The two accounts of his death which we have, in Acts 13: 19-23, and 
Josephus, Antic], xix. 8. 2, with many variations, are yet in thorough and detailed 
agreement on the principal points. 

The Acts of the Apostles relates that in Caesarea, sitting on the judgment-seat 
dressed in his royal robes, he delivered an oration to the ambassadors representing 
the citizens of Tyre and Sidon, with whom, we know not why, he had been dis- 
pleased. While he was speaking the people called out : It is the voice of a god, 
and not of a man. Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he 
gave not (iod the glory; and he was eaten up of worms, and gave up the ghost. 

According to Josephus, he was present at Caesarea while games were being 
celebrated there in honour of the emperor. On the second day he appeared in 
the theatre in a robe which was made wholly of silver. When the robe sparkled 
in the sun, the flatterers cried out to him declaring that he was a god, and entreat- 
ing that he would have mercy on them. The king allowed himself to be carried 
away by their flattery. Soon thereafter he saw an owl sitting upon a rope, which 
at once he accepted as a presage of a speedy death. He then knew that his hour 
had come. Immediately a most severe pain arose in his bowels. He had to be 
carried into the house, and in five days was a corpse. 

It thus appears that the -principal points: Caesarea as the scene of the incident, 
the brilliant robe, the flattering shout, the sudden death — are common to both 
narratives, although the details have been somewhat diversified in the course of 
transmission. — Schiirer : Jewish People, 1st Div., vol. ii, pp. 163, 164. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 263. The Evils of Union between Church and State. A church 
established by law does not tolerate dissent when it is in position to suppress it. 
If the ecclesiastical power is the weaker it calls on the secular power to enforce 
its demanris; if the latter is the weaker it is tempted to curry favor with the 
former by persecuting those who presume to differ from legal orthodoxy. In either 
case there is no freedom of thought. 

§ 264. The Bible not a Book of Biography. One cannot but be 
impressed with the brevity of the account of the martyrdom of the apostle James, 



80 The Bible Study Manual, 

compared with that of Stephen. The Biblical narrative never takes account of a 
man for his own sake, but only in so far as he stands related to the progress of 
the kingdom of God. 

§ 265. The Ministry of Angels. We may not, as Peter, be permitted actu- 
ally to behold the heavenly messengers "sent forth to do service for the sake of 
those who shall inherit salvation" (Heb. 1 : 14); but we may confidently believe 
that all who commit themselves to God for guidance and protection will have such 
share of his angelic service as God thinks best. 

§ 266. The Power of Prayer. Peter's deliverance is a lesson to the church 
for all time on the potency of prayer. On one side were arrayed the powers of 
earth, prison bars, chains, lines of armed soldiers guarding every avenue of escape, 
and behind them all the power of the Roman empire. On the other side was a 
little band of timid men and women, poor, despised, without social or political 
influence, but strong in prayer, and in the consciousness that God was with them. 
The result might be delayed till the last moment, but it was sure. 

§ 267. Why so Little Answer to Prayer. " We pray as the primitive 
Church did, and that constantly; but is it not with us as with them? We pray 
indeed, but we do not expect our prayers to be answered, and therefore we do not 
profit by them as we might." — Stokes. 

§268. The Death of James, and the Death of Herod. Who would 
not rather have been the humble martyr in the prison, glorifying God in his death 
and glorified evermore among the redeemed in heaven, than Agrippa dazzling for 
a moment in his silver robe, but permanently tormented by an evil conscience, 
and finally smitten of God, the miserable victim of his own sins and vices. But 
these are only extreme cases of that great division of men into two classes, to one 
of which each individual belongs. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The Life and Character of Herod Agrippa I : Josephus, Antiquities, 
vol. ii, Bk. xviii, ch. 6 — Bk. xix, ch. 9; Ibid., Wars, vol. ii, Bk. ii, chs. 9, n ; Schiirer, 
Jewish People in the Time of Christ, 1st Div., vol. ii, pp. 150-165. 2. DIFFERENT 
Views on Peter's Deliverance: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 231; Gloag, 
Commentary, Acts, vol. i, p. 418. 3. Herod's DISPLEASURE AT THE PHCENICIANS : 
Lange, Commentary, Acts, p. 230. 



Lesson 15. -CARRYING THE GOSPEL INTO CYPKUS AND 

ASIA MINOR. The Beginning of Paul's Pirst 

Missionary Journey. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 269. Design of the Lesson. To show how the church at Antioch through 
its leaders and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit was moved to enter upon 
the evangelization of the Gentile world, and to show how Barnabas and Saul, in 
pursuance of this divine leading, began their missionary work in Cyprus, and then 
continued it in Antioch of Pisidia. 



Library Extracts on Lesson ij. 81 

§270. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the lesson 
make faithful use of the map, so as to become familiar with the location of the 
places mentioned, and able to follow mentally the movements of the apostles 
from place to place. 

(2) Recall briefly the steps of progress in the spread of the gospel, which 
resulted in the establishment of this Gentile church in Antioch of Syria, and note 
that this church, rather than the church in Jerusalem, was selected by the Holy 
Spirit as the most fit agency through which to evangelize the Gentile world. 

(3) In connection with the work in Cyprus notice that its chief interest seems 
to center in the conversion of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul. Attention should be 
called to the three main facts connected with this event, the defeat of Bar-jesus 
the sorcerer, the accuracy of Luke as an historian, and the change of Saul's 
name to Paul. 

(4) Follow the apostles from Paphos to Perga, and note the fact that at this 
point John Mark, who had accompanied the apostles from Antioch, turned back; 
also the fact that this may have been due to circumstances which necessitated such 
a radical change of plan that Mark for reasons satisfactory to himself, but appar- 
ently unsatisfactory to Paul (Acts 15 : 3S), felt warranted in going no further. 

(5) Describe the work in Antioch of Pisidia, the impression made by Paul's 
address, the jealousy of the Jews, the turning of the Gentiles to Christ, and the 
persecution instigated by the Jews which finally drove the apostles from Antioch. 

(6) Note that notwithstanding this opposition the gospel had great success 
there, and that a permanent and nourishing church was the fruit of this visit by 
Barnabas and Saul. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
BARNABAS AND SAUL SENT FORTH. 

§ 271. Preparatory Work and Guiding Influence of the Holy Spirit. 
[It is always] difficult to emancipate ourselves from the influence and ideas of 
bygone ages, and so it was with the Jewish Christians. They could not bring 
themselves to adopt missionary work among the Gentiles. They believed indeed 
intellectually that God had granted unto the Gentiles repentance unto life, but 
that belief was not accompanied with any of the enthusiasm which alone lends 
life and power to mental conceptions. The Holy Ghost therefore, as the Para- 
clete, the loving Comforter, Exhorter, and Guide of the Church, interposes afresh, 
and by a new revelation ordains apostles whose great work shall consist in preach- 
ing to the Gentile world. . . . 

All the circumstances . . . are typical. The Church was engaged in a special 
devotion when the Holy Ghost spoke. A special blessing was vouchsafed, as 
before at Pentecost, when the people of God were specially waiting for Him. 
The Church at Antioch as represented by its leading teachers were fasting and 
praying and ministering to the Lord when the Divine mandate was issued. — 
Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 192-194. 

§ 272. The Call to Evangelize the Gentiles : Paul and Barnabas Set 
Apart. " Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have 



82 The Bible Study Manual. 

called them," may have been an answer to specific prayers. How this revelation 
was made . . . , — whether the route to be taken by Barnabas and Saul was at this 
time precisely indicated, — and whether they had previously received a conscious 
personal call, of which this was the public ratification, — it is useless to inquire. 
A definite work was pointed out, as now about to be begun under the counsel of 
God; two definite agents in this work were publicly singled out: and we soon 
see them sent forth to their arduous undertaking, with the sanction of the Church 
at Antioch. 

Their final consecration and departure w r as the occasion of another religious 
solemnity. A fast was appointed, and prayers were offered up; and, with that 
simple ceremony of ordination ..." they laid their hands on them, and sent 
them away." The words are wonderfully simple; but those who devoutly reflect 
on this great occasion, and on the position of the first Christians at Antioch, will 
not find it difficult to imagine the thoughts which occupied the hearts of the 
disciples during the first " Ember Days" of the Church, — their deep sense of 
the importance of the work which was now beginning, — r their faith in God, on 
whom they could rely in the midst of such difficulties, — their suspense during 
the absence of those by whom their own faith had been fortified, — their anxiety 
for the intelligence they might bring on their return. — Conybeare and Howson : 
St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 133, 134. 

THE WORK IN CYPRUS. 

§ 273. The Beginning of Paul's First Missionary Journey. It is not 

stated that the Holy Spirit prescribed the details of the route. How then should 
Paul and Barnabas proceed? To leave Syria they must go first to Seleucia, the 
harbour of Antioch, where they would find ships going south to the Syrian coast 
and Egypt, and west either by way of Cyprus or along the coast of Asia Minor. 
The western route led towards the Roman world, to which all Paul's subsequent 
history proves that he considered himself called by the Spirit. The Apostles 
embarked in a ship for Cyprus, which was very closely connected by commerce 
and general intercourse with the Syrian coast. . . . We may feel fairly confident 
that in view of this great expedition the Apostles started early in the year, in 
April, when the season for navigation began. It is not possible to allow less than 
two months. in Cyprus, where they preached in the Jewish synagogues along their 
route. We must allow a certain time in each of the Jewish settlements to enable 
the Apostles to test the feeling of the town before they proceeded on their way 
in search of a favourable opening; and yet ... it is hardly consistent with the 
language [of the narrative] to suppose that they stayed very long at an) 7 place. 
Nothing of permanent interest occurred until they reached Paphos: and even 
there the words describing their experience do not suggest any prolonged stay. — 
Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 60, 61. 

§ 274. Cyprus, a Senatorial Province, Ruled by a Proconsul. There is 
an interesting illustration of the historical accuracy of St. Luke connected with 
the apostolic visit to Paphos and to Sergius Paulus the proconsul. Thrice over in 
the narrative of St. Luke, Sergius Paulus is called proconsul. . . . This has been 
the cause of much misunderstanding and of no small reproach hurled against the 
sacred writer. . . . The Roman provinces were divided into two classes, sena- 
torial and imperial. The senatorial provinces were ruled by proconsuls appointed 
by the Senate; the imperial by propraetors appointed by the emperors. This 
arrangement was made by Augustus Caesar, and is reported to us by Strabo who 
lived and wrote during St. Paul's early manhood. . . . Strabo gives us the list 
of the provinces senatorial and imperial alike, and expressly classes Cyprus 



Library Extracts on Lesson 15. 83 

amongst the imperial provinces, which. were ruled by propraetors and not by pro- 
consuls. . . . Strabo tells us of the original arrangement made about thirty years 
B.C. . . . but he omits to tell us what another historian of the same century, Dion 
Cassius, does relate, that the same Emperor [Augustus] modified this arrange- 
ment live years later, handing Cyprus and Gallia Narbonensis over to the rule of 
the Senate, so that from that date and henceforth throughout the first century of 
our era Cyprus was governed by proconsuls alone, as St. Luke most accurately, 
though only incidentally reports. — Stokes: Acts, vol. ii, pp. 203, 204. 

§ 275. Confirmatory Evidence of Recent Excavations. Cyprus has 
been thoroughly investigated since it passed into British hands, specially by 
General Cesnola who . . . tells us of a mutilated inscription which he recovered 
dealing with some subject of no special importance, but bearing . . . date as 
" Under Paulus the Proconsul " ; proving to us by contemporary evidence that 
Sergius Paulus ruled the island, and ruled it with the special title of proconsul. 
Surely an instance like this ... is quite enough to make fair minds suspend their 
judgment when charges of inaccuracy are alleged against St. Luke dependent 
upon our own ignorance alone of the entire facts of the case. — Stokes : Acts, 
vol. ii, p. 205. 

§ 276. The Character of Sergius Paulus. The Proconsul is described by 
Luke as an intelligent person — in short, one of the savans of the day; and it is 
a strong confirmation of the accuracy of the description, that we find Pliny the 
Elder citing Sergius Paulus more than once as an authority on questions of 
natural philosophy. The same inquiring turn of mind that distinguished the 
Proconsul was transmitted to his posterity, for Galen speaks of a son (or grand- 
son) of the same name in the most flattering terms: "Sergius Paulus, a man of 
the first stamp in all things, both, in word and deed, as regards philosophy." — 
Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 127. 

§ 277. Sergius Paulus and Bar-jesus. There resided at the court of the 
Proconsul at that lime a Jewish impostor, by the name of Bar-jesus, whose sur- 
name was Elymas, or "the magician." ... lie [the proconsul] had probably 
listened, not without advantage, to the discourses even of Elymas, who, though 
a false teacher, and making a trade of religion, and practising on the credulity of 
the people by the knavish profession of supernatural powers, had yet communi- 
cated to the accomplished Roman many wholesome truths touching the nature and 
attributes of the Deity. . . . But the same thirst after knowledge which had led 
to the advancement of Elymas, now induced the governor to send for Barnabas 
and Saul. If so much light had been derived from the Jewish religion, what 
might not be expected from Christianity, which, it was said, was to fulfil and 
then supersede the dispensation of Moses! — Lewin: St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 127, 
128. 

§ 278. Bar-jesus and Saul. But the position of soothsayer to a Roman 
Proconsul . . . was too distinguished and too lucrative to abandon without a 
struggle. Elymas met the Apostles in open controversy, and spared neither 
argument nor insult in his endeavour to persuade Sergius of the absurdity of the 
new faith. Instantly Saul . . . came to the front to bear the full force of the 
sorcerer's opposition. ... lie stood up, as it were, in a flame of fire, his soul 
burning with inspired indignation, against a man whose cowardice, greed, and 
worthlessness he saw and wished to expose. Fixing on the false prophet and sor- 
cerer that earnest gaze which was perhaps rendered more conspicuous by his imper- 
fect sight, he exclaimed, " O full of all guile and villany, thou son of the devil, 
thou foe of all righteousness, cease, wilt thou, thy perversion of the Lord's straight 



84 The Bible Study Manual. 

paths." And then, perceiving the terror produced on the mind of the unmasked 
hypocrite by this bold and blighting invective, he suddenly added, " And now, see, 
the Lord's hand is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a 
time." The denunciation instantly took effect; the sorcerer felt in a moment 
that his impostures were annihilated, that he stood in the presence of an avenging 
justice. A mist swam before his eyes, followed by total darkness, and groping 
with outstretched hands he began to seek for some one to lead and guide him. — 
Farrar : St. Paul, p. 199. 

§ 279. The Conversion of Sergius Paulus. Nor was it strange that a dis- 
play of spiritual power so startling and so irresistible should produce a strong 
conviction on the mind of the Proconsul. How far his consequent belief was 
deep-seated or otherwise we have no evidence which would enable us to judge. 
But the silence of St. Luke would seem to indicate that he was not baptised, and 
we can hardly louk on him as a deep and lifelong convert, since otherwise we 
should, in the rarity of great men in the Christian community, have as certainly 
heard of him in their records as we hear of the very few who at this period — 
like Flavius Clemens or Flavia Domitilla — joined the Church from the ranks of 
the noble or the mighty. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 199, 200. 

§ 280. Change of Name from Saul to Paul. As the name Paul occurs in 
the narrative of the conversion of Sergius Paulus, . . . [Jerome] supposes that 
the change of name is connected with that event. . . . This hypothesis is, how- 
ev.er, liable to various objections. It seems at variance with the modesty of the 
apostle. It is, besides, highly improbable that Sergius Paulus was Paul's first 
Gentile convert, as he had already preached for at least two years in Cilicia and 
Antioch; nor did he pay such extreme deference to rank as this hypothesis would 
imply. It was customary for the pupil to adopt the name of the teacher, but not 
the teacher to adopt the name of the pupil. Besides, it is to be observed that 
Luke introduces the change of name before he mentions the conversion of Sergius 
Paulus. 

The more probable opinion is, that Paul, as a Hellenistic Jew and a Roman 
citizen, had two names — Saul being his Jewish name, and Paul his Roman. . . . 
It was then a usual thing for Hellenistic Jews to have two names; the one 
Hebrew, and the other Greek or Latin. . . . The change [in Luke's narrative] 
must have been intentional; and the common reason assigned seems sufficient, 
that Paul now came prominently forward as the apostle of the Gentiles. 
Hitherto his labours had been chiefly confined- to the Jews, and hence Luke 
retained the name by which he was best known among them; but now he 
addresses himself to the Gentiles, and henceforth Luke mentions him only by his 
Gentile name. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 13, 14. 

THE WORK IN ANTIOCH OF PISIDIA. 

§281. The Journey from Paphos to Perga. After traversing the island 
[of Cyprus] from east to west, they must go onward. Ships going westward 
naturally went across to the coast of Pamphylia, and the Apostles, after reaching 
Paphos, near the west end of Cyprus, sailed in one'of these ships, and landed at 
Attalia in Pamphylia. ... It seems ... a fair and natural interpretation of the 
document to place their arrival in Pamphylia in the latter part of June. Some 
slight stay in Perga is implied by the dissension which was caused by the proposal 
to cross Taurus to the upper country; then they proceeded to the interior with- 
out preaching at Perga or in Pamphylia. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, 
pp. 60, 61. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 15. 85 

§ 2S2. John Mark's Return to Jerusalem. We can hardly suppose that 
[proceeding to the interior] . . . was part of the original scheme, for John Mark 
was willing to come into Pamphylia with them hut was not willing to go on into 
the country north of the Taurus, and therefore he evidently considered that the 
latter proposal was a departure from the original scheme. Cyprus and Pamphylia 
were countries of similar situation to Cilicia and Syria, and in the closest possible 
relations with them, whereas it was a serious and novel step to go into the country 
north of the Taurus. We need not therefore suppose that John Mark was actu- 
ated solely or mainly by cowardice; the facts of the situation show that he could 
advance perfectly plausible arguments against the change of plan, which was to 
carry their work into a region new in character and not hitherto contemplated by 
the church. It seems no unwarrantable addition, but a plain inference from the 
facts, to picture the dissension as proceeding on lines like these; and it relieves 
John Mark from a serious charge, which is not quite in keeping with his boldness 
in originally starting on this first of missionary journeys. — Ramsay : Church in 
Roman Empire, pp. 61, 62. 

§ 283. Reasons for Going to Antioch of Pisidia. What then was the 
motive of Paul and Barnabas in taking this new step? . . . Was it that circum- 
stances independent of their own will dictated this change? To this question 
Paul himself gives the answer. " Ye know," he says to the Galatians, " that 
because of an infirmitv of the flesh I preached the gospel to you the first time " 

(Gal. 4: 13). 

Every one who has travelled in Pamphylia knows how relaxing and enervating 
the climate is. In these low-lying plains fever is endemic; the land is so moist 
as to be extraordinarily fertile and most dangerous to strangers. Confined [on the 
north] by the vast ridges of Taurus, 5,000 to 9,000 feet high, the atmosphere is 
like the steam of a kettle, hot, moist, and swept by no strong winds. . . . 

We suppose then that Paul caught fever on reaching Perga. ... It was pre- 
cisely after fatigue and hardship, travelling on foot through Cyprus amid great 
excitement and mental strain, that one was peculiarly liable to be affected by the 
sudden plunge into the enervating atmosphere of Pamphylia. The circumstances 
implied in the epistle are therefore in perfect keeping with the narrative in Acts. 
. . . The treatment for such an illness would be prescribed by universal consent 
as either the sea or the high lands of the interior. ... In this way Paul and 
Barnabas were led to visit the Jewish settlement of Antioch, and the evangelisa- 
tion of the Galatian churches was due to " an infirmity of the flesh." — Ramsay : 
Church in Roman Empire, pp. 62-64. 

§ 284. The Word Preached in Antioch. From Perga they went to 
Antioch in Pisidia. Here, on the Sabbath, in the synagogue, at the invitation of 
its rulers, Paul delivered a discourse of eminent wisdom, mildness, and earnest- 
ness; reviewing the gracious dealings of God with Israel; announcing the 
appearance of the Messiah in the family of David, his death, and his resurrection; 
pointing the people to faith in him as the condition of pardon and justification; 
and concluding with an awful warning against unbelief. The discourse made an 
impression, and the apostle was urged to present his doctrine more fully on the 
ensuing Sabbath. In the mean time, the more teachable among the Jews and 
proselytes received more minute instructions; the news of the gospel spread to 
every house. — Schaff: Apostolic Church, p. 243. 

§ 285. Envy of the Jews. Paul and Barnabas Driven Away. On the 
next Sabbath the whole city, Gentiles and all, flocked to the synagogue. This 
roused the envy of the Jews, who made great account of their lineage and 



86 The Bible Study Manual. 

privileges; and they interrupted Paul's discourse with violent contradiction and 
blasphemy. He then declared to them : " We were bound by the divine counsel, 
and by our duty as apostles, to preach the word of God to you first. But since ye 
thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn 
to the Gentiles; according to the promise of the prophet, that the Messiah should 
be a light and the foundation of salvation for the nations to the ends of the 
earth." Then were the Gentiles glad; "as many as were ordained to eternal 
life," believed; and the word of God spread throughout the province of Pisidia. 
But the fanatical Jews succeeded in stirring up the honourable women, who 
leaned towards Judaism, and, through them, their husbands also; and they drove 
Paul and Barnabas away. — Schaff: Apostolic Church, p. 243. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 286. Prayer for Guidance Always Answered. Whether the church at 
Antioch was definitely praying for guidance respecting the evangelization of the 
Gentiles, as seems probable, we do not know; but it is certain that prayer for 
divine guidance never fails to bring indications of God's will to those who are 
ready to follow where he leads the way. 

§ 287. The Disqualifying Power of Prejudices. Unquestionably the dis- 
ciples at Jerusalem were deeply interested in the spread of God's kingdom, yet 
their national prejudices, while not hindering their work among the Jews, formed 
for a time at least a barrier against their undertaking direct work among the 
Gentiles; therefore the glory of this work passed to another church. 

§ 288. Fidelity in Daily Duties is the Best Preparation for Larger 

Tasks. As the Lord had prepared the church at Antioch to become the mother 
church of the Gentiles, so he had also prepared special instruments for this work. 
Yet notice, that this special preparation of Barnabas and Saul was received by 
them unconsciously in their faithful and large-hearted attention to work that had 
already come to them (cf. Mt. 25 : 21). 

§ 289. The True Motive in Missionary Work. Paul felt that the revela- 
tions which had been made to him, and the gospel that had been entrusted to 
him were not bestowed for his own comfort and salvation only; but that, having 
experienced their blessed power in his own soul, he might impart them to others 
who were perishing for want of them. In this sense we, as well as he, are debtors 
to all men, who have not the gospel. 

§ 290. The Constraining Impulse in All Christian Work. This should 
be the love of Christ — not our weak and vacillating love for him — but his un- 
failing and omnipotent love for us. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Prophets and Teachers in the Church at Antioch : Thatcher, Apostolic 
Church, p. 119; Gloag, Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, p. 3. 2. Manaen : Handy Com- 
mentary, Acts, pp. 201, 202. 3. Herod the Tetrarch : Gloag, Commentary, 
Acts, vol. ii, pp. 4, 5. 4. John, Whose Surname was Mark : Smith's Diet. Bib., 
Art., " Mark " ; Thatcher, Apostolic Church, p. 119. 5. Jewish Manner OF 
Reading the Scripture: Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 169 ff.; Farrar, Life and 

Work of St. Paul, pp. 205-207. 6. CYPRUS, AS A CENTER FOR THE SPREAD OF 

Christianity: Ibid., pp. 195, 196. 7. For a Full Discussion of St. Paul's 
First Reported Sermon : Ibid., pp. 207-210. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 16. 87 

Lesson 16. -THE WOEK IN ICONIUM, LYSTEA AND DERBE, 

AND THE EETUEN TO SYRIA. The Continuation and 

Close of the First Missionary Journey. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 291. Design of the Lesson. To show some of the experiences of Barna- 
bas and Paul in carrying the gospel into southern Galatia; and to note their return 
to Antioch in Syria, which completed the first missionary journey. 

§292. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Call attention to the 
great advance made during the past four years in our knowledge of the physical 
geography, political divisions, and archaeology of Asia Minor in the first century, 
and to the fact that the leading authority on these subjects to-day is Prof. W. M. 
Ramsay, whose volume on "The Church in the Roman Empire before a.d. 170," 
has compelled a radical revision of heretofore almost universally accepted opin- 
ions concerning Galatia, the Galatian churches, and Paul's missionary journeys, 

(2) Notice Paul's relation to the provincial and the municipal jurisdictions; 
and that he did not, as generally imagined, when driven from any one city, cross 
the nearest frontier to escape the law; for his work in Asia Minor was almost 
wholly confined to the single province of Galatia. 

(3) Observe that wherever Barnabas and Paul went they began their work by 
preaching in the synagogues, whereby they not only offered the gospel first of all 
to God's ancient people, but reached the large number of proselytes and devout 
persons who had attached themselves to the Jewish worship, and through whom, 
when forced to quit the synagogues, they could gain a stronger hold on the 
Gentiles themselves. 

(4) Mark how gladly the Gentiles received the gospel, and how the apostles 
would apparently have been spared all hardship and peril but for the jealousy and 
hatred of the Jews who stirred up persecution against them in every place 
except Derbe. 

(5) Note how this first missionary journey resulted in the establishment of four 
churches in Galatia, and how Barnabas and Paul, after having been driven from 
city to city, afterwards turned back and retraced their steps in order to strengthen 
and organize these churches and to comfort them in their trials. 

(6) Picture, finally, the joy of the church at Antioch in Syria on hearing from 
their returned missionaries of the success with which the Lord had crowned their 
efforts to make known his grace among the Gentiles. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 



§293. Paul, and the Local Jurisdictions. [It is often said that] "the 
diversity of political governments which at this time prevailed in Asia Minor was 



SS The Bible Study Manual. 

so far an advantage to the apostles that it rendered them more able to escape 
from one jurisdiction to another." In so far as it concerns antiquities, this view 
is against the evidence; and, when a correct map is before us, we see that Paul 
did not use the frontier, like the modern brigands in Turkish Macedonia, to 
"dodge the law." He did not go out of the Roman province, but found safety 
through the self-government of the various cities. He never came into collision 
with the Roman administration on this first journey, but only with the city 
officials; and the action of the magistrates of Antioch had no force beyond the 
territory that belonged to the city. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, p. 45. 

IN ICONIUM: SUCCESS AND PERSECUTION. 

§ 294. Iconium, a City of Phrygia. Iconium was in early times a city of 
Phrygia, situated on the eastern frontier, where Phrygia borders on Lycaonia; but 
in later times it [was joined with the district of Lycaonia for governmental pur- 
poses; and as early as 100 B.C.J was called a city of Lycaonia. . . . [Its inhab- 
itants, however, still clung to its ancient name, and called it a city of Phrygia; as 
for instance] in the year 163 A.D., Hierax, one of the Christians associated with 
Justin Martyr in his trial before the Prefect of Rome, Junius Rusticus, was asked 
by the judge who his parents were. He replied, " My earthly parents are dead; 
and I hve come hither (i.e., as a slave), torn away from Iconium of Phrygia." 

By this single testimony of a native, preserved in such an accidental way, we 
are enabled to realise that the expression in Acts 14: 6 [they "fled unto the cities 
of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe " which implies that Iconium was not a city of 
Lycaonia] was contrary to the general usage and peculiar to Iconium, and that it 
could hardly have occurred except to one who had actually lived in the city and 
caught the tone of its population. [This expression is, therefore, a strong inci- 
dental proof of the accuracy of the narrative in the Acts, and not, been 
alleged by some who have, disregarded the local usage, an indication of its 
inaccuracy.] — Ramsay: Church in Roman Empire, pp. 37, 39. 

§ 295. The Work in Iconium. The Apostles, on reaching Iconium, entered, 
as usual, on the Sabbath-day, into the synagogue of the Jews, who here also, as 
in other cities of importance, were no inconsiderable part of the population. 
Such was the force with which the missionaries spake, that a multitude of converts 
soon came over to the faith, both from Jews and Greeks. It was no time to 
stand neuter, and the unbelieving Jews exerted all their arts to bring the new 
doctrine into discredit. The Apostles, however, continued to preach the word at 
Iconium with great boldness, and miracles were wrought by their hands, by which 
the truth of the Gospel was confirmed. At length the whole city was divided — 
some taking part with the Jews, and some with the Apostles. Such a state of 
things could not last, and violence began. The Jews stirred up the Gentiles, 
including even the rulers of the city, against the religious innovations, and the 
Apostles were in danger of being stoned. However, they were appraised of the 
plot in time, and fled to Lystra, a city of Lycaonia. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, 
pp. 145, 146. 

§ 296. The Legend of Paul and Thekla. In connection with St. Paul's 
residence at Iconium, there exists a story of the conversion of a maiden named 
Thecla, of which the apocryphal " Acts of Paul and Thecla " represents the form 
into which the legend had grown in the fourth century. Thecla, who was espoused 
to Thamyris, is said to have been deeply affected by the preaching of the Apostle, 
which she accidentally heard, and when the Apostle was put in prison on the 
accusation of being a magician, she bribed the gaoler and visited the prisoner, and 
was fully instructed by him in the Christian faith. The Apostle was punished and 



Library Extracts on Lesson 16. 89 

sent away from Iconium. Thecla was condemned to die for her refusal to marry 
Thamyris, but was miraculously saved, and after many troubles joined St. Paul in 
his missionary travels, and ultimately made her hume in the neighbourhood of 
Seleucia, where she led the life of a nun till her death, which took place when she 
was ninety years old. — Lam by : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 175. 

IX LYSTK A : WORSHIPED AND STONED. 

§ 297. The Site of Lystra. Lystra is about six hours S. S. W. from Iconium. 
. . . The exact site of Lystra is on a hill in the centre of the valley. . . . The hill 
rises about 100 to 150 feet above the plain and the sides are steep. Few traces of 
ancient buildings remain above the surface. . . . Situated on this bold hill, Lystra 
could easily be made a very strong fortress, and must have been well situated for 
its purpose of keeping in check the tribes of the mountain districts that lie west 
and south of it. . . . P'or seventy years after its foundation it must have been a 
town of considerable consequence, proud of its Roman character and its superior 
rank. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 47, 49, 50. 

§298. The Miracle at Lystra. We must suppose that Paul gathered groups 
of the Lystrians about him, and addressed them in places of public resort, as a 
modern missionary might address the natives of a Hindoo village. . . . On one 
of these occasions St. Paul observed a cripple, who was earnestly listening to his 
discourse. He was seated on the ground, for he had an infirmity in his feet, and had 
never walked from the hour of his birth. St. Paul looked at him attentively . . . 
[and] perceived " that he had faith to be saved." . . . Paul said before his 
idolatrous audience at Lystra, " Stand upright on thy feet." . . . The obedient 
alacrity in the spirit, and the new strength in the body, rushes together simultane- 
ously. The lame man sprang up in the joyful consciousness of power he had never 
felt before, and walked like those who had never had experience of infirmity. 
— Conybeare and Iloivson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 190-192. 

§299. Worship Offered the Apostles. (1) It is manifest that neither Paul 
nor Barnabas understood the cry of these Lycaonians [" the gods are come down 
to us in the likeness of men "J. If they had, we cannot suppose that they would 
have allowed a moment to elapse before they corrected the false impression which 
the words conveyed, and at which, when they came to know its purport, they 
expressed such horror. They, however, left the place where the multitude of 
listeners had been assembled, and departed to their own lodgings, without any 
knowledge of what the mistaken people were about to do. . . . 

.Nothing was more familiar to the heathen mind than the thought of the gods 
assuming shape and going about among mankind, and it has often been noticed 
that the scene of the legend of Baucis and Philemon related by Ovid, and in 
which Jupiter and Mercury are said to have wandered on earth and to have been 
received as guests by Baucis and Philemon, is laid in Phrygia, which province was 
close to Lycaonia. . . . 

We can understand how the heathen people concluded that if any deity came 
to visit them with a beneficent purpose it would be that god Jupiter whose temple 
was before their city and to whom therefore their chief worship was paid. ... It 
was to his priest that the people ran with their cry, and brought him, with all the 
preparations for a sacrifice, to the gate of the house where the Apostles were 
lodged. — Lumby : In Cambridge Bible, Acts, pp. 177, 178. 

(2) It is not without a singular interest that we find one of Ovid's stories 
reappearing in the sacred pages of the Acts of the Apostles. In this instance, as 
in so many others, the Scripture, in its identical descriptions of the Heathen 



90 The Bible Study Manual. 

world, presents " undesigned coincidences " with the facts ascertained from 
Heathen memorials. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 190. 

§300. Paul's Ignorance of "the Speech of Lycaonia." It will be ad- 
mitted by all who are not under the influence of a theory that this serves almost 
as a crucial instance, showing that the "gift of tongues," which St. Paul possessed 
so largely, did not consist in a supernatural knowledge of every provincial patois 
with which he came in contact. It is clear that he might easily have learnt after- 
wards from those who knew both languages [Greek and Lycaonian], the meaning 
of what at the time was unintelligible. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, 
p. 224a. 

§ 301. Paul Stoned and Left for Dead. (1) The crude, sensuous superstition 
of these heathens readily accounts for their sudden change from idolatrous vener- 
ation to the opposite extreme of fanatical hatred towards the enemies of their 
gods. At the instigation of Jews, who had come from Antioch in Pisidia and 
from Iconium, the people rose against Paul in a mob, stoned him, and dragged 
him out of the city for dead. But he revived, and, spending the rest of the day 
with the believers in Lystra, he and Barnabas went the next day to Derbe. — 
Schaff : Apostolic Church, p. 244. 

(2) The impression which the narrative leaves is certainly that Paul recovered 
from his stoning through a miracle; for it could have been nothing less than a 
miracle, that he who was stoned until his enemies were satisfied that he was dead, 
should be able to rise up of his own accord, walk into the city, and the next day 
depart for Derbe. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 56, 57. 

FROM DERBE BACK TO SYRIA. 

§ 302. The Site of Derbe. The site of Derbe is not established on such 
certain evidence as that of Lystra. . . . Gudelissin is the only site in this district 
where a city of the style of Derbe, the stronghold of " the robber Antipater," 
could be situated. ... It now presents a bare and poor appearance. . . . Derbe 
was the frontier city of the Roman province on the south-east, and on this account 
a certain importance attached to it. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 
54, 55- 

§ 303. The Work at Derbe. A few hours would be sufficient for the journey 
hither [from Lystra]. We have now reached the eastern limit of the present 
expedition. . . . [They] made many disciples as the result of the preaching men- 
tioned [in vs. 21]. One of the converts was probably Gaius, who is called a 
Derbean in 20 : 4. Their labours in this city appear to have been unattended by 
any open opposition. Hence, in 2 Tim. 3:11, Paul omits Derbe from the list of 
places associated in the mind of Timothy with the " persecutions, afflictions," 
which the apostles had been called to endure. . . . The Epistle, therefore, in the 
names of the cities, in the order in which they are enumerated, and in the place 
at which the enumeration stops, corresponds exactly with the history. — Hackett : 
Commentary, Acts, pp. 178, 179. 

§ 304. The Return to Syria. Confirming the Disciples. [The close of 
the work at Derbe] brings us at least to the end of November. After that season 
the passes over the Taurus are liable to be blocked by snow, and are at best very 
trying and difficult to cross. What, then, were the Apostles to do? The journey 
across Taurus was described to them as impossible. They were at the extremest 
limit of Roman territory, and could not go further forward to preach, except by 
entering the kingdom of Antiochus. ... In this situation the Apostles resolved to 



Library Extracts on Lesson 16. 91 

return by the way they had come, and to take the opportunity of organising the 
administration of the newly founded communities, all of which they had been 
obliged to leave quite suddenly. . . . The rest of the winter then was spent in 
Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. ... It was not before the middle of May in the 
following year that the Apostles could venture to cross the Pisidian mountains. 
They perhaps spent June in Perga, and in July . . . they may have reached the 
Syrian Antioch once more. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 69, 7c, 72. 

§ 305. Elders in the Early Church. Whether Paul and Barnabas appointed 
the presbyters in this case by their own act solely, or ratified a previous election 
of the churches made at their suggestion, is disputed. If it be clear from other 
sources that the primitive churches elected their officers by general suffrage, the 
verb here may be understood to denote a concurrent appointment, in accordance 
with that practice; but the burden of proof lies on those who contend for such a 
modification of the meaning. . . . The term is plural, because each church had its 
college of elders; not because there was a church in each of the cities. The 
ciders ox presbyters, in the official sense of the term, were those appointed in the 
first churches to watch over their general discipline and welfare. With reference 
to that duty, they were called . . . superintendents, or bishops. The first was 
their Jewish appellation, transferred to them perhaps from the similar class of 
officers in the synagogues; the second was their foreign appellation, since the 
Greeks employed it to designate such relations among themselves. In accordance 
with this distinction, we find the general rule to be this : those who are called 
elders m speaking of Jewish communities are called bishops in speaking of Gen- 
tile communities. Hence the latter term is the prevailing one in Paul's Epistles. 
— Hackett : Commentary, Acts, pp. 179, 180. 

§ 306. The Report to the Church at Antioch. Antioch was the centre 
whence Paul and Barnabas had issued forth to preach among the Gentiles, and to 
Antioch the apostles returned to cheer the Church with the narrative of their 
labours and successes, and to restore themselves and their exhausted powers with 
the sweetness of Christian fellowship, or brotherly love and kindness such as then 
flourished, as never before or since, among the children of men. Mission work 
such as St. Paul did on this great tour is very exhausting. . . . The best restora- 
tive . . . when so exhausted is conversation and intercourse with men of like 
minds, such as St. Paul found when, returning to Antioch, he cheered the hearts 
and encouraged the hopes of the Church by narrating the wonders he had seen 
done and the triumphs he had seen won through the power of the Holy Ghost. — 
Stores: Acts, vol. li, pp. 217, 218. 

§ 307. Summary of the First Missionary Journey. They [Paul and 
Barnabas] had preached the gospel in the island of Cyprus, and had visited the 
three Asiatic districts of Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia. Besides individual 
conversions, they had founded at least four Christian churches in the cities of 
Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. They had thus materially extended 
the gospel, although the space traversed was small compared with the countries 
visited by Paul in his second and third missionary journeys. The time spent in 
this journey is a matter of uncertainty. ... It was at the close of the year 44 
that Paul returned from Jerusalem to Antioch; and it was about the year 51 
(fourteen years after his conversion, Gal. 2 : 1) that he again went up to Jerusalem 
(Acts 15:2). Six years, then, were spent in Antioch, and in this missionary 
journey; but how the time is to be divided is uncertain. It would appear that the 
greater part of it was spent in the journey. They traversed the whole of Cyprus; 
'hey continued so long in Pisidian Antioch, that we are informed the word of the 
Lord was diffused throughout the whole region; at Iconium we are told that they 



92 The Bible Study Manual. 

remained a long time; at Lystra their stay must have been considerable, for time 
must be allowed for their success, for its fame to have reached the cities of Pisidian 
Antioch and Iconium, and for the hostile Jews to come from these cities. Nor 
could their stay at Derbe have been short, for there they made many disciples. 
Although, then, the space traversed was not extensive, yet, considering the length 
of their residence in each city, and the time which the history allows us, the period 
occupied might be about three or four years (a.d. 45-48). — Gloag : Commentary, 
Acts, vol. ii, p. 63. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 308. The Purpose of the Apostolic Miracles. In the first century when 
every heathen belief tried to substantiate itself by alleged miracles, and when 
deception and imposture flourished on every hand, it would seem that Christianity 
also needed for its progress such incontestable manifestations of divine power as 
would show it to be from God and not from man. After eighteen hundred years 
of history Christianity is able to appeal to stronger evidence than miracles. 

§ 309. The Fickleness of Popular Favor. The same blind and unreason- 
ing impulse that prompted the crowd at Lystra to offer divine honors to Paul and 
Barnabas, as quickly and completely turned the populace against them. A crowd 
is easily excited, and when excited never stops to reason. It dethrones its idols as 
quickly as it erects them. 

§310. Heathen versus Christian Conceptions of the Incarnation. 

Heathenism has much to say about men working their way up to the gods. The 
gods of Greece and Rome were, in truth, but superhuman men with human fail- 
ings, who were supposed at rare intervals to visit the earth in semblance of men. 
Christianity alone presents a God who is in all and over all, the Creator of all 
things, who has in very deed assumed human nature, lived man's life, and died 
man's death, in order that he might provide redemption for all men from sin and 
death and lift them into fellowship with God. 

§ 311. Other Obstacles than Persecution. Those who enter the service of 
Christ to-day in our own and in some other Christian lands may not have to endure 
bodily persecutions. Some of our hardest struggles are against prosperity rather 
than against adversity. Strength comes from resistance; paralysis and death come 
with inaction. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Political Divisions of Asia Minor: Ramsay, The Church in the Roman 
Empire, pp. 13-15, note. 2. Localities of the First Journey: Ibid., ch. 2. 
3. Similarity of the Miracle in Acts 14: 10 and 3: 2: Cambridge Bible, Acts, 
p. 177; Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, p. 191. 4. FACTS 
Concerning Jupiter and Mercury: Gloag, Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, p. 52; 
Abbott, Commentary, Acts, pp. 160. 161. 5. The Revelation of God in Nature : 
Olhausen, Commentary, Acts, vol. iv, pp. 516, 517; Abbott, Commentary, Acts, p. 162. 

6. THE Acts OF Paul and Thekla : Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. viii, pp. 487-492. 

7. For a Critical Estimate of the Same : Ramsay, The Church in the Roman 
Empire, ch. 16, 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 17. -THE COUNCIL IN JEEUSALEM. The Beginning of 
the Conflict Concerning the Gentiles and the Jewish Law. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§312. Design of the Lesson. To show how the relation of the Gentile 
converts to the Mosaic law became a most perplexing question in the early church, 
and how it received its first practical, though only partial, solution in the decision 
of the council at Jerusalem. 

§313. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Try to form a clear 
conception of the attitude of the Jews of that day to the Gentile world around 
them; how they regarded themselves as the elect of God on whom he showered 
his exclusive privileges and blessings; how they regarded the Gentiles as little 
better than dogs, unclean, with whom the slightest social intercourse was defiling; 
and how they held that a convert from the Gentiles could not enter into the full 
privileges of the Jew until the tenth generation. 

(2) Recall how the Holy Spirit had tried to break down these false and arro- 
gant discriminations by the revelations to Peter at Joppa, and by Peter's further 
experiences when preaching to Cornelius at Csesarea, and how these facts had for 
the time silenced the criticism of the church in Jerusalem. 

(3) Note that national prejudices, so violent and deeply rooted as those of the 
Jews, could not be broken down by a mere revelation to one of the apostles, but 
that as soon as Barnabas and Paul returned from their first missionary journey, 
with their account of the entrance of large numbers of Gentiles directly into the 
church, these prejudices reasserted themselves, and caused great trouble in the 
church at Antioch, which it was found impossible to arrest except by an appeal 
to the apostles and the mother church in Jerusalem. 

(4) Show Paul's wisdom in the measures adopted by him to prepare the 
leaders of the church in Jerusalem for the final public discussion, so that when 
this came it did not end in a vain and violent debate, but led to such a calm and 

93 



94 The Bible Study Manual. 

unprejudiced presentation of facts and principles as made united action and a 
right decision possible. 

(5) Observe that the council did not attempt to decide the broad question of 
the relation of Christianity to Judaism, but only the immediate question of the 
relation of the Gentiles to the Jewish ritual law; observe also that most of the 
restrictions put upon the Gentiles were not demanded as conditions of salvation, 
but as concessions in the interest of friendliness and peace. 

(6) Picture the joy with which victory for the Gentiles was greeted not only at 
Antioch but in all the churches where Paul afterwards carried the decree; but note 
that even this decision was but the partial solution of a question that could be 
disposed of finally only by a broad and thorough discussion of the principles that 
lay at the foundation of Christianity as compared with Judaism. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

THE OCCASION OF THE COUNCIL IN JERUSALEM. 

§314. Judaizers at Antioch. The first intimation that we have that the 
trouble about the observance of the law was becoming acute is in the fifteenth 
chapter of Acts. This must have been about the year 49 [50 or 51] A.D. " And 
certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be 
circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (15: 1). These 
were the " Judaizers." . . . This declaration raised a great commotion among the 
Gentile Christians in Antioch. Some of them had for years been watching with 
great joy and confident expectation for the return of Christ. We can easily im- 
agine their consternation when they were told that they would certainly be ex- 
cluded from his kingdom if they did not keep the law. All their hopes were 
blasted. . . . The struggle was a serious one, and it must have shaken the church 
to its very foundation, for there was " no small dissension and questioning with 
them " about this important matter. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 140, 141. 

§ 315. The Source of the Jewish Opinion Regarding the Permanence 
of the Mosaic Law. This opinion of the strict Jewish Christians is more plaus- 
ible than in our times we are disposed to imagine, a circumstance which accounts 
for the numerous and obstinately conducted controversies that existed in the 
primitive church regarding this point. . . . When you proceed upon the divine 
original of the Old Testament, and consider the strong declarations which it 
makes regarding the perpetual obligation of its ordinances, and the curses which 
it pronounces upon those who disregard them, when you take into consideration 
the declarations of Christ himself, for example in Matthew 5: 17, 18, apparently 
to the very same effect; then you can readily comprehend how persons of a 
somewhat anxious and timid disposition might be not able to soar up to the free 
spiritual view of the law, which Paul, with all the might of the Spirit, vindicated. 
— Olshausen : Commentary, Acts, vol. iv, p. 520. 

§316. The Test Question : On what Terms might Gentiles Enter the 
Church? Let us define clearly the great question which now arises. It is not 
as to whether Gentiles shall be admitted into the kingdom of God : on that point 
everyone was agreed. The question was, On what terms were they to be ad- 
mitted? Was it necessary to become a Jew in order to be a Christian? Must one 



Library Extracts on Lesson iy. 95 

pass through Judaism to reach the Gospel? This was the point at issue. Those 
who upheld the eternal claims of the old religion would, of necessity, impose 
circumcision on the Gentiles; for it was only through circumcision that they 
could be materially incorporated with the elect people, and become members of 
the family of Abraham. Accordingly, it was over circumcision that the great 
battle came to be fought. — Sabatier ; Apostle Paul, p. 125. 

§ 317. The Journey to Jerusalem. [The visit of the Judaizers to Antioch] 
resulted in a general anxiety and perplexity among the Syrian Christians. . . . 
It was determined, therefore, " that Paul and Barnabas, with certain others, 
should go up to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and elders about this question." It 
was well known that those who were disturbing the peace of the Church had their 
head-quarters in Judaea. . . . The residence of the principal Apostles was at 
Jerusalem, and the community over which "James" presided was still regarded as 
the Mother-Church of Christendom. In addition to this mission with which St. 
Paul was entrusted by the Church at Antioch, he received an intimation of the 
Divine Will communicated by direct revelation [Gal. 2: 20]. . . . 

It would seem that his companions were carefully chosen with reference to the 
question in dispute. On the one hand was Barnabas, a Jew and " a Levite " by 
birth, a good representative of the church of the circumcision. On the other 
hand was Titus, now first mentioned in the course of our narrative, a convert 
from heathenism, an uncircumcised " Greek." . . . Their course was along the 
great Roman Road, which followed, the Phoenician coast-line . . . through the 
midland districts of Samaria and Judasa. ... It seems evident that many of the 
heathen Syro-Phcenicians had been converted to Christianity : for as Paul and 
Barnabas passed through, " declaring the conversion of the Gentiles, they caused 
great joy unto all the brethren." As regards the Samaritans, we cannot be sur- 
prised that they who, when Philip first " preached Christ unto them," had received 
the glad tidings with "great joy," should be ready to express their sympathy in 
the happiness of those who, like themselves, had recently been " aliens from the 
commonwealth of Israel." — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 210-212. 

THE DEBATE IN THE COUNCIL. 

§318. The Composition of the Council; St. Paul's Preliminary Inter- 
view with the Leading Men in the Church. This assembly is often called 
the first Christian Council; but we must use some license to apply the term in 
that way, since a council consists properly of delegates from various churches, 
whereas two churches only are represented on this occasion. 1'he apostles and 
elders are mentioned on account of their rank, not as composing the entire as- 
sembly. ... In Gal. 2: 2, Paul states that, besides the communication which he 
made to the believers in a body, he had also a private interview with the chief of 
the apostles. This interview, we may suppose, preceded the public discussion. 
The object of it appears to have been, to put the other apostles in full possession 
of his views, and of all the facts in relation to his ministry among the heathen; 
so that, fortified by their previous knowledge of the case, he might have their 
support in the promiscuous assembly, where prejudice or misunderstanding might 
otherwise have placed him in a false light. — Hackett : Commentarv, Acts, 
p. 184. 

§ 319. The Conflict between Christianity and Judaism. It was not to 
be expected that the old principle would yield to the new without conflict. The 
astonishing success of the mission to the Gentiles caused, no doubt, more embar- 
rassment than pleasure at Jerusalem. The old Judaism felt that its venerable 



g6 The Bible Study Manual. 

claims were in jeopardy; and it could not maintain and defend them without en- 
deavouring to enforce them on others. ... 

Christianity and Judaism were now contending for their existence. If the 
Gentiles enter the Church directly, and there obtain through faith alone the same 
rank and privileges as the Jews, what becomes of the rights of Israel? what 
advantage has the elect people over other nations? Is not this utterly to deny the 
absolute validity of Judaism? On the other hand, if circumcision be imposed on 
the Gentile converts, is not that itself a declaration that faith in Christ is insuffi- 
cient for salvation? Does it not reduce the Gospel to the position of a mere 
accessory to Mosaism? Is not this to deny the absolute validity of the work of 
Jesus Christ? . . . Betwixt the two parties, the Twelve are eclipsed. They 
appear full of anxiety and hesitation, seeking for a reconciliation between the 
two hostile principles, which could not be other than precarious. — Sabatier : 
Apostle Paul, pp. 125, 126. 

§ 320. Speeches in the Council. [After] considerable sharp questioning 
and discussion . . . Peter rose to speak. He reminded them that God had 
taught him to make no distinctions of this kind; that, as a matter of fact, even 
there in Palestine, Gentiles had been converted, and that Jews as well as they 
might hope to be saved only "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
The great audience was silent. Peter's argument was unanswerable. In a few 
moments Barnabas addressed the assembly and also Paul, both of whom related 
the wonderful things God had done through them on their recent missionary tour 
in Pisidia and Lycaonia. 

But there was still another whose opinion was waited for by the multitude, — 
the pastor of the Jerusalem church, " James the Just." . . . The Pharisaic 
Christians respected his judgment, as did also those who had adopted the larger 
and more spiritual view of Christianity. This man " now came forward, and 
solemnly pronounced that the Mosaic rites were not of eternal obligation," and 
that the Gentile Christians ought not to be troubled about them; that if they 
abandoned the worship of idols and the immoral practices to which they had 
been accustomed, and believed on the Lord Jesus, it was enough. This carried 
the assembly. — Taylor : St. Paul, pp. 158, 159. 

THE DECISION ADOPTED AND SENT FORTH. 

§ 321. The Decision of the Council. The first and most important was 
that the law is not binding on the Gentile Christians. In this Paul was completely 
victorious. It was this principle for the recognition of which he was laboring, 
and it was here fully conceded. James, Peter and John recognized that Paul and 
Barnabas were true preachers of the true gospel. They had been intrusted with 
the gospel to the Gentiles, and God had recognized their work by blessing it with 
success. For their preaching among the heathen had been attended with the 
same signs and results as that of the other apostles among the Jews. 

The second decision was to the effect that this gospel of Paul was for the 
heathen alone and not for the Jews (Gal. 2:9). Paul might preach to the 
Gentiles without demanding of them the observance of the law, but that was not 
the gospel for the Jews. He might preach to the Jews, but he must not teach 
them to disregard the law of Moses. In other words, they divided the mission 
field according to nationality. They thereby laid the possible foundation for two 
great churches, . . . sharply divided and opposing each other. . . . 

In all this Paul had made no concession in any way. His apostleship and 
gospel had been recognized and it had been admitted that the law in general, and 
circumcision jn particular, were not to be demanded of the GentUe Christians. 



Library Extracts on Lesson iy. 97 

. . . Nevertheless, . . . the Gentile Christians were asked to abstain from certain 
things which were most offensive to the Jews. The request was based on the 
principle oi brotherly love. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 147, 149. 

§ 322. The Letter to the Gentiles. The resolutions adopted on this occa- 
sion were now communicated to the Gentile churches in Syria and Cilicia, in an 
epistle drawn up in the name of the assembly; and two persons of good repute 
in the church, perhaps members of the Presbytery at Jerusalem, Barsabas and 
Silas (Sylvanus), were chosen as bearers of it, and were to accompany Paul and 
Barnabas, and counterwork the intrigues of their Judaizing opponents. — 
Neander : Planting and Training, p. 130. 

§ 323. The News Received with Joy at Antioch. It is natural, in the 
absence of anything to the contrary, to infer that they returned, as they had 
come, through Samaria and Phoenicia, and gladdened the hearts of the disciples 
there by telling them of the triumph which had been won at Jerusalem for the 
cause of freedom. . . . We can picture to ourselves the eager excitement of that 
moment, the listening crowds [in the Antioch church], the letter, which as a 
formal missive would be sealed and tied round with thread, solemnly opened and 
read aloud, mortification and murmurs on the one side, and clamorous applause on 
the other, as each sentence repudiated the claims of the Judaisers and confirmed 
the principles and the work of St. Paul and Barnabas. To the Gentile converts 
it was, indeed — won, as it had been, after a hard battle — as the Great Charter 
of their freedom. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 249^. 

PAUL'S REBUKE OF PETER AT ANTIOCH. 

§ 324. The Dispute between Peter and Paul. Peter ... at first held 
free intercourse with the Gentile believers, at Antioch, as he had done once 
before with Cornelius at Gesarea. But when certain Jewish Christians arrived 
with some commission from James he withdrew from this intercourse through fear 
of the party of the Circumcision. The rest of the Jews, including even Barna- 
bas, followed his example. Paul saw that this action would practically force the 
Gentiles to submit to circumcision if they wished to secure a position of real 
equality with the Jewish believers. It was thus contrary to Peter's expressed con- 
viction as well as to the spirit of the letter from Jerusalem. He therefore openly 
rebuked Peter for what he termed his hypocrisy, and succeeded in vindicating the 
cause of Christian libertv. — Robinson : In Cambridge Companion, p. 135. 

§ 325. St. Paul on Circumcision. St. Paul vigorously opposed all those 
who taught the necessity of Jewish rites so far as salvation is concerned. This is 
evident from this chapter and from the Epistle to the Galatians. But, on the 
other hand, St. Paul had not the slightest objection to men observing the law and 
submitting to circumcision, if they only realised that these things were mere 
national customs and observed them as national customs, and even as religious rites, 
but not as necessary religious rites. ... It was not to circumcision St. Paul objected, 
but to the extreme stress laid upon it, the intolerant views connected with it. 
Circumcision as a voluntary practice, an interesting historical relic of ancient 
ideas and customs, he never rejected, — nay, further, he even practised it, as we 
shall see in the case of Timothy; circumcision as a compulsory practice binding 
upon all men St. Paul utterly abhorred. . . . 

He refused to circumcise Titus, for instance, because the Judaising party were 
insisting upon the absolute necessity of circumcising the Gentiles if they were 
to be saved. Had St. Paul consented to the circumcision of Titus, he would 
have been vielding assent, or seeming to yield assent, to their contention. He 



98 The Bible Study Manual. 

circumcised Timothy at Lystra because of the Jews in that neighbourhood; . . . 
because they knew that his mother was a Jewess, and the principle of the Jewish 
law, and the Roman law too, was that a man's nationality and status followed that 
of his mother, not that of his father, so that the son of a Jewess must be 
incorporated with Israel. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 225-227. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 326. God's Blessing a Test of the Value of a Work. The work 
among the Gentiles had received the same seal of Divine favor as that among the 
Jews, — the manifest presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The smile of 
heaven is the best evidence of the actual value of any work, and yet much 
good work must of necessity be done in faith only, Blessed are they that have 
not seen their reward here and yet have remained faithful. 

§ 327. The Insufficiency of the Law and the Sufficiency of Grace. 

From the time when the law was first given men had sought to keep it, and had 
failed. Its object was to reveal to man his sin; the mission of grace was to meet 
the sinner's need and through Christ furnish peace and pardon. 

§ 328. Great Faults Not an Inseparable Bar to Great Service. Peter 
represents a type of men who are nothing if not extremists. At one moment he 
was ready to die for his Lord; at the next he forsook him, and at the word of a 
servant, denied him. At Jerusalem he was foremost in advocating the abrogation 
of the law, and yet at Antioch he dissimulated before " those of the circum- 
cision," and timidly withdrew from communion with the unpopular Gentiles. 
Peter did a great work for Christ and the church. But how much more he might 
have accomplished if he had always stood firmly by his convictions. 

§329. James a Peacemaker, Not a Compromiser. Men of the type of 
James seem to have been created to stand between opposing factions and effect a 
reconciliation (see Taylor: St. Faul, pp. 158, 159). He was convinced of the 
truth, bold enough to state his convictions, and wise enough not to antagonize but 
to persuade others, He did not make peace through compromise, but through 
strong as well as " sweet " reasonableness. The true preacher is a man of 
convictions as well as of tact and patience. 

§ 330. The Council at Jerusalem Guided by the Spirit of God. The 

decision promulgated by this council was a great stride in advance of the position 
heretofore taken by the Jewish wing of the Christian church. It was a step in 
the dark. This grasp of the situation and willingness to accept the new truth 
toward which the Holy Spirit was leading them required of the leaders of the 
church a wonderful courage of conviction, and a strong trust in God. The 
leading which the Spirit gave these men in the face of such obstacles he is equally 
able and willing to do for those who seek his guidance now. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Differences in the Two Accounts of Paul's Visit to the Council 
at Jerusalem, as Given in Acts, ch. 15, and Gal., ch. 2 : Lcchler, Apostolic and 
Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, pp. 194 ff ; Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 188 ; Schaff, History 
of the Apostolic Church, pp. 247-249; Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 233, 234. 2. 
Paul's Five Visits to Jerusalem: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 301, note. 3. 
The Speech of James: Cambridge Bible, Acts, pp. 190-194. 4. The Hand of 
Fellowship; Its Meaning: Lee filer, Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. i, 
pp. 217, 218. 5. Theory of Peter's Loss of Leadership at Jerusalem: 
Thatcher, History of the Apostolic Church, pp. 153, 154. 



Library Extracts o?i Lesson 18. 99 

Lesson 18.-CAKRYING THE GOSPEL INTO MACEDONIA. The 
Beginning of the Second Missionary Journey. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 331. Design of the Lesson. To give an account of the work of Paul and 
Silas during the early part of the second missionary journey, and of the special 
divine guidance by which the gospel was carried from Asia Minor into Europe. 

§332. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note the length of time 
that elapsed between the close of the first and the beginning of the second mis- 
sionary journey, as well as the circumstances that led to the choice of Silas as 
Paul's traveling companion. 

(2) Call attention to the fact that in following the great overland route of 
travel and commerce between the East and the West, through Issos and Tarsus, 
Paul would straightway reach the Gentile churches in Galatia, planted on the first 
journey, and deliver to them the decree of the council at Jerusalem whereby they 
were released, by the highest authorities in the church, from bondage to the Jew- 
ish law. 

(3) Observe that Paul's evident purpose was to push on toward Ephesus, in the 
province of Asia, but that the Spirit of God had a different plan which was not 
revealed until the apostle reached Troas, when a vision in the night showed him 
that the beginning of the evangelization of Europe was the next step in the divine 
purpose concerning his work. 

(4) Incidentally call attention to the occurrence at this point of the first of the 
so-called "we " passages in Acts, and to their hearing upon the authorship of the 
book and upon the question of Paul's relation from this time on to the writer of 
these passages. 

(5) Show how Paul's work in Philippi, though attended by severe sufferings, 
was the means of establishing a vigorous church between which and Paul the 
friendliest relations ever afterwards existed. Glance at his epistle to the Philip- 
pians written many years later during his imprisonment in Rome, and note the 
expressions of his tender love for them, and his gratitude for their repeated 
help and sympathy in his work. 

(6) Mark, finally, how the indignities and persecution suffered by Paul and 
Silas at the hands of the magistrates in Philippi resulted in the humiliation of the 
latter and in the furtherance of the gospel in this place. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

THE SEPAKATIOX OF PAUL AND BARNABAS. 

§ t,23- The Reason for the Separation. When Paul, some time after his 
return from the apostolic council, proposed to Barnabas a new missionary tour, 
the latter wished to take along his kinsman, Mark. B-ut Paul objected, because 



ioo The Bible Study Manual. 

this Mark, in the previous journey, had not proved steadfast. This led to an 
irritation of feeling, "a sharp contention." . . . Paul, with his stern regard for 
duty, excluded all personal considerations, and felt compelled to censure severely 
any want of self-denial for the sake of the Lord. Barnabas, who seems to have 
been naturally of a milder turn, was disposed to be lenient towards his kinsman. 
. . . We afterwards find Mark . . . reconciled with Paul, as the latter himself 
testifies. Equally transient, of course, was Paul's dispute also with Barnabas. — 
Schaff : Apostolic Church, pp. 259, 260. 

On Mark's possible reason for leaving the apostles at Perga, see § 282, Lesson 15. 

PAUL REVISITING THE CHURCHES IN GALATIA. 

§334. The Beginning of St. Paul's Second Missionary Journey. 

Accompanied by Silas, he passed through Cilicia, crossed Taurus no doubt by the 
Cilician Gates, and came first to Derbe, and then to Lystra, where he found a dis- 
ciple named Timothy. ... It appears that Paul, after leaving Lystra with Silas 
and Timothy, spent some time in the country, for it is clearly implied in verses 4 
and 5, that they taught and preached in " the cities " on their route. We may 
conclude that they visited those cities of the district where Paul had so many 
friends and converts, Iconium and Antioch; and it was in all probability while 
they were in Antioch that they were " forbidden of the Holy Ghost to speak the 
word in Asia." The prohibition implies a previous intention on their part, by 
which Paul's action hitherto had been guided. — Ramsay : Church in Roman 
Empire, pp. 74, 75. 

§ 335. Paul Circumcises Timothy. (1) Paul for the sake of the Jews cir- 
cumcised Timothy, whose father was a Greek. ... In the narrative about Titus, 
it is compulsory circumcision of which mention is made, which Paul could not 
submit to without coming into direct collision with his principles, while Timothy 
willingly submitted to the rite. Where this voluntary reception of the ceremony 
took place, nothing could hinder him from permitting it; yea, his great principle 
of becoming a Jew to the Jews, would rather lead him to desire [it] ... in 
order that they might give no offence to the weak Jews. — Ohhausen : Commen- 
tary, Acts, vol. iv, p. 537. 

(2) Paul circumcised Timothy, not, as Ewald supposes, to remove the reproach 
of illegitimacy, but to remove the offence of the Jews against the gospel. The 
Jews here mentioned are the unbelieving Jews. They would regard Timothy, not 
merely as an uncircumcised Gentile, but as an apostate from Judaism; and hence 
it would excite great offence if he, being uncircumcised, assisted Paul in preach- 
ing the gospel: it would perhaps have completely closed the door of access to 
them. . . . The cases [of Timothy and Titus] are not similar; there are at least 
three points of difference : I. Titus was a pure Gentile; whereas Timothy was a 
Jew by his mother's side. 2. It was the Jewish Christians who demanded the 
circumcision of Titus; whereas it was for the sake of the unbelieving Jews that 
Paul circumcised Timothy. 3. A principle of doctrine was involved in the case 
of Titus, — namely, that circumcision was essential to salvation; whereas in the 
case of Timothy there was no question of doctrine, but merely a question of pru- 
dence. Paul here acted according to his principles of becoming in matters of 
indifference all things to all men, in order to promote the gospel of Christ; . . . 
but certainly not in compliance with the doctrine of the Judaizers, that circumci- 
sion was necessary to salvation. It is easy to see how the want of circumcision in 
Timothy would have hindered the entrance of the gospel among the Jews, whilst 
his circumcision would promote that object. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, 
pp. 103, 104. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 18. iol 

§336. Paul Delivers the Decree of the Council. Wherever he went he 
delivered the apostolic decree in order that he might counteract the workings of 
the Judaisers. This decree served a twofold purpose. It relieved the minds 
of the Gentile brethren with respect to the law and its observances, and it also 
showed to them that the Jerusalem Church and apostles recognised the Divine 
authority and apostolate of St. Paul himself, which these " false brethren " from 
Jerusalem had already assailed, as they did four or five years later both in Galatia 
and at Corinth. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 259, 260. 

FROM GAtATIA TO PHILIPPI. 

§337. Led by the Spirit. (1) When their first plan was thus altered [by 
being forbidden of the vSpirit to preach in the province of Asia], they turned 
northwards, with the intention of entering Bithynia, presuming that they would 
be allowed to preach there. But when they came opposite Mysia, and tried to 
continue their northward route into Bithynia, " the Spirit of Jesus suffered them 
not." They were compelled to turn westwards; and keeping along the southern 
frontier of Mysia, they reached Troas, whence they sailed to Macedonia. The 
language of this passage clearly implies that they were forbidden to preach, but 
not to travel in Asia; whereas they were forbidden even to set foot in Bythynia. — 
Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 75, 76. 

(2) We are told that "the Spirit of Jesus " would not permit him [Paul] to 
preach in Bithynia, though Bithynia became afterwards rich in Christian Churches, 
and was one of the districts to which St. Peter some years later addressed his first 
Epistle. The Jews were numerous in the districts of Bithynia and Asia, and "the 
Spirit of Jesus " or " the Holy Ghost" . . . had determined to utilise St. Paul in 
working directly among the Gentiles, reserving the preaching of the gospel to the 
Dispersion, as the scattered Jews were called, to St. Peter and his friends. . . . 
Divine providence had cut out his great work in Europe, and was impelling him 
westward even when he desired to tarry in Asia. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 
266, 267. 

§ 338. The Call to Macedonia. It was not improbably the anxious wish of 
Paul at this time, A.D. 51, to transfer his labours to Rome. The Apostle of the 
Gentiles would naturally desire to visit the metropolis of the Gentile world and 
about six years after this he wrote to the Romans, " Oftentimes I purposed to 
come unto you, but was let hitherto." ... A voyage to Rome at this time would 
have been of little avail, for an edict was shortly afterwards issued by the Emperor 
Claudius that all Jews should depart from the Imperial city, and Paul, as a Jew, 
would have been within the terms of the proclamation. . . . 

While he was ruminating whither to direct his steps, a divine interposition 
resolved the doubt, and pointed to Macedonia. " A vision appeared to Paul in 
the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, 'Come 
over into Macedonia, and help us.' " The sacred narrative proceeds, "And after 
he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, 
assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel unto them." 
— Lewin: St. Paul, vol. i, p. 197. 

§ 339- The "We " Passages in the Acts. The first person plural "we" is 
used in certain parts of the narrative, where the writer is describing the journeys 
of St. Paul. He therefore professes to be a companion of St. Paul. This first 
person appears in the ordinary text for the first time at Troas, during the second 
missionary journey, and continues to Philippi, where it is dropped as suddenly as 
it had appeared. It is taken up again after several years during the third mission- 
ary journey at this same place Philippi, and continues till St. Paul arrives at Jeru- 



102 The Bible Study Manual. 

salem and confers with James and the elders. When again he sets sail for Italy, 
it accompanies him and remains in his company during the voyage and shipwreck 
and until his arrival in Rome. . . . 

Who then is this writer who uses the first person? The obvious answer is that 
which identifies him with the traditional author of the work, St. Luke. This 
person was certainly a trusty companion of the apostle. . . . Moreover, Luke is 
described as "the beloved physician," and a tendency to the use of medical terms 
has been observed both in the Third Gospel and the Acts. — Lightfoot ; In Smith's 
Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "Acts of the Apostles," p. 31. 

§ 340. The Voyage from Troas to Philippi. Virgil has described an even- 
ing and a sunrise on this coast, before and after an eventful night. That night 
was indeed eventful in which St. Paul received his commission to proceed to 
Macedonia. The commission was promptly executed. . . . The men of Troas 
awoke to their trade and their labour. Among those who were busy about the 
shipping in the harbour were the newly arrived Christian travellers, seeking for a 
passage to Europe, — Paul, and Silas, and Timotheus, — and that new companion, 
" Luke, the beloved Physician," who [had] . . . now joined the mission, of 
which he afterwards wrote the history. .' . . 

It is evident that Paul and his companions sailed from Troas with a fair wind. 
On a later occasion we are told that five days were spent on the passage from 
Philippi to Troas. On the present occasion the same voyage, in the opposite 
direction, was made in two . . . [the night being spent under the shelter of the 
high shore of the island of Samothrace. Doubtless] the small Turkish village of 
Cavallo is the Naples of Macedonia, the " Neapolis " at which St. Paul landed, 
and the sea-port of Philippi, ... a city of no little importance as a Roman 
military " colony." — Conybeare and Howson ; St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 284, 285, 287, 
288. 

PAUL'S WORK IN PHILIPPI. 

§341. A Place of Prayer by the Riverside. Better, where an oratory 
was established. The word, which was the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew 
" house of prayer," is used in this sense by Josephus, and was current among the 
Jews at Rome. Where they had no synagogue, and in a military station like 
Philippi there was not likely to be one, the Jews frequented the river-banks, 
which made ablutions easy, and often succeeded in getting a piece of ground 
assigned for that purpose outside the walls of the city. Juvenal notes this as one 
of the instances of the decay of the old faith of Rome : 

" The groves and streams which once 
were sacred ground 
Are now let out to Jews." . . . 

The oratories, or proseuchce, thus formed, were commonly circular, and without a 
roof. The practice continued in the time of Tertullian, who speaks of the 
"orationes litorales" of the Jews. . . . Finding no synagogue in the city [Phil- 
ippi], and hearing of the oratory, the company of preachers went out to it to take 
their part in the Sabbath services, and to preach Christ to any Jews they might 
find there. Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 258^, 259. 

§ 342. The Demoniac Slave Girl Healed. It would appear . . . that she 
was the property of several masters. She was a valuable possession to them, 
because her soothsaying, which was supposed to emanate from Apollo, was a 
source of great gain. ... It is unnecessary to suppose that she merely uttered 
what she had heard spoken by others; but the case is similar to the testimonies of 



Library Extracts on Lesson 18. 103 

evil spirits in favour of Christ recorded in the Gospels, however such testimonies 
are to be explained. . . . [The statement Paul ] being grieved . . . involves the 
idea both of grief and indignation : grief for the unfortunate condition of the 
slave; indignation at the evil spirit by whom she Mas possessed. [He] s.iidto 
the spirit . . . In the name of Jesus Christ, cone out of her. Christ performed 
miracles in His own name; the apostles did so in the name of Christ. The one 
was the Son; the others were the servants of the household. "In my name 
shall they cast out devils." — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 120, 121. 

§ 343. Roman Law Regarding Gentile Religions. [The magistrates] 
were careful to frame their charges in such a way as to make it appear that Paul 
and Silas were offending against the laws of the state. In the first place, it was 
said that they were Jews. Of course this in itself was not a criminal offense; it 
was only an appeal to the popular dislike of the Jews. Being Jews, it was to be 
expected that they had done something offensive and worthy of punishment. 
The real charge was that they were trying to introduce a foreign religion, one 
that was regarded as unlawful. . . . Eastern religions were forbidden in the 'West, 
and Paul and Silas were charged with having acted contrary to this law. — 
Thatcher: Apostolic Church, p. 169. 

§ 344. The First Instance of Gentile Persecution : Paul and Silas 
Beaten and Imprisoned. The slave-masters were touched in their pockets, 
and it filled them with fury. . . . They suddenly arrested Paul and Silas, and 
dragged them before the sitting magistrates. ... As the proceedings were doubt- 
less in Latin, with which Paul and Silas had little or no acquaintance, . . . they 
had no time to plead their citizenship until they were actually in the hands of the 
lictors, or, if they had, their voices were drowned in the cries of the colonists. 
. . . The Apostles were seized; their garments were rudely torn off their backs; 
they were hurried off and tied by their hands to the palus, or whipping-post in 
the forum; and . . . endured, at the hands of these low lictors, those outrages, 
blows, strokes, weals, the pangs and butchery, the extreme disgrace and infamy, 
the unjust infliction of which even a hard-headed and hard-hearted Gentile could 
not describe without something of pathos and indignation. 

It was the first of three such scourgings with the rods of Roman lictors which 
Paul endured, and it is needless to dwell even for one moment on its dangerous and 
lacerating anguish. . . . The Duumvirs, with the same monstrous violation of 
law, flung Paul and Silas into prison, and gave the jailer special orders to keep 
them safely. . . . The jailer not only thrust them into the dank, dark, loathsome 
recesses of the inner prison, but also secured their feet in " the wood "... 
resembling our " stocks." — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 279, 281, 282. 

§345. The Jailer Converted and Baptized. No ill-treatment could . . . 
destroy that secret source of joy and peace which St. Paul possessed, . . . and 
therefore at midnight the astonished prisoners heard the inner dungeon ringing 
with unwonted songs of praise raised by the Jewish strangers. An earthquake, 
too, lent its terrors to the strange scene, shaking the prison to its foundations and 
loosing the staples to which the prisoners' chains were fastened. The jailor, 
roused from sleep, and seeing the prison doors opened wide, would have com- 
mitted suicide were it not for Paul's restraining and authoritative voice; and then 
the astonished official, who must have heard the strange rumours . . . — "These 
men are the servants of the Most High God, which proclaim unto you the way of 
salvation" — rushed into the presence of the Apostles crying out in words which 
have ever since been famous, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" to which the 
equally famous answer was given, " Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be 



104 The Bible Study Manual. 

saved, thou and thy house." The jailor then took the Apostles, bathed their 
bruised bodies, set food before them, gathered his household to listen to the glad 
tidings, which they received . . . [and] were at once baptized. — Stokes : Acts, 
vol. ii, pp. 285, 286. 

§ 346: The Message of the Magistrates. A change, also, . . . had come 
over the minds of the magistrates themselves. . . . The message conveyed by t. 2 
lictors was expressed in a somewhat contemptuous form, '■'■Let those men gjp 
The jailor . . . felt his infinite debt of gratitude to the Apostles, not only for his 
preservation from a violent death, but for the tidings they had given him of eter- 
nal life. . . . When, therefore, the lictors brought the order, he went with them 
to announce the intelligence to the prisoners, and joyfully told them to leave their 
dungeon and " go in peace." — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 309, 
310. 

§ 347. Paul Demands Public Reparation. As the punishment was public, 
so must the reparation be public. It has been often asked, Why Paul did not 
make this appeal to his privilege as a Roman citizen before, when the prsetors 
ordered him to be scourged ? . . . The common opinion is, either that he was 
not heard in the tumult, or that he knew that he would not be heard. . . . Paul 
seems here voluntarily to have waived his rights, for some reasons with which we 
are unacquainted : he perhaps felt that the cause of the gospel would be more 
benefited by his endurance than by his avoidance of of suffering: and this we 
find was actually the case. [In the command] Nay verily ; but let them come 
and fetch zis out ... he had respect not merely to his honour, but to the honour 
and interest of Christianity in Philippi. . . . Had [they] departed without a pub- 
lic declaration of their innocence, a stain would have rested upon their reputa- 
tion, and thus the cause of the gospel would have been injured. Besides, such a 
public declaration of the illegality of their punishment on the part of the magis- 
trates would undoubtedly encourage the new converts, and at the same time shield 
them from popular violence. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, pp. 129, 130. 

§ 348. Paul's Departure from Philippi. They [Paul and Silas] now betook 
themselves to the house of Lydia, where the other Christians of the city were 
assembled, and spoke the last words of encouragement and exhortation. Then 
they quitted the place, but Luke and Timothy, who had not been included in the 
persecution, stayed behind in peace. It is easily explained how Timothy on 
account of his youth, since he took but little part in the proclamation of the 
gospel, escaped the persecutions from which Paul and Silas suffered, and could: 
therefore remain without danger at Philippi. Paul left in Philippi a church full 
of faith and zeal, who shortly after gave a proof of their affectionate concern for 
him by sending contributions for his maintenance, though he never sought for 
such gifts, but supported himself by the labor of his own hands. — Neander : 
Planting and Training, pp. 177, 178. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 349. Led by the Spirit. At each turning-point of his journey, Paul heard 
the guiding voice saying " this is the way, walk ye in it." God's leading voice is 
not confined to any age or person, being limited only by our unwillingness to 
accept the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. 

§ 350. Personal Responsibility for Missionary Work. The call of the 
man of Macedonia " Come over and help us," is the call of missions to-day from 
" those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death." The voice is personal 



Editorial Notes on Lesson ig. 105 

and addressed to each one who has named the name of Christ. All cannot 
respond in person, but those who answer to the call are our substitutes, and should 
have our hearty support and earnest prayers. 

§351. The Great Question, and its Answer. The question of the Philip- 
pian jailer, and the answer of Paul! This question and answer must become in 
substance a personal experience in order to salvation. 

§ 352. Different Types of Conversion. God's ways of converting men are 
as various as their capacities, characteristics and circumstances. In the case of 
Lydia, it is merely said that the Lord opened her heart to receive the things 
spoken by Paul; on the other hand in the case of the jailer, and of Paul himself, 
conversion meant a sudden and overwhelming change. The precise form of this 
personal element is therefore entirely immaterial. The constant and essential 
element in every genuine conversion is an actual turning from sin to righteous- 
ness, from self to God. 

§353. Songs in the Night. Paul and Silas were bound with iron chains, 
but no chains could bind their spirits, or take from them the peace that passeth 
all understanding. The lacerated flesh, the painful stocks, and the foul den in 
which they were cast, — all these were forgotten in the ecstasy of spiritual joy 
that enabled them to glory in suffering for Christ's sake. 

§ 354. Resisting Evil. The apostle, in his attitude toward the Philippian 
magistrates gives us a practical interpretation of our Lord's sermon on the Mount 
concerning the non-resistance of evil. But to tolerate outrage and injustice 
without seeking the redress to which every law-abiding citizen is entitled, is to 
encourage evil doers in their ways. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Probable Chronology of the Second Missionary Journey : Ramsay, 
The Church in the Roman Empire, pp. 84, 85. 2. Timothy, THE EVANGELIST:. 
Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., "Timothy," p. 3252 ft". 3. ANCIENT TROY: Conybeaie and 
Hozuson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 280, 281. 4. Alexandrian Troas: 
G/oa°; Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, p. 109. 5. PHILIPPI, a Roman COLONY: Handy 
Commentary, Acts, p. 258 ; Stokes, Acts of the Aposties, vol. ii, pp. 274, 275. 6. A 
Roman Prison: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 321. 7. Privileges of Roman 
CITIZENSHIP: Ulshausen, Commentary, Acts, p. 547; Ency. Brit., vol. xx, Art., 
"Roman Law," p. 704a. 8. Paul's Policy in Confining 'his Work to Cen- 
ters of Population : Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, p. 185. 



Lesson 19, -PREACHING IN THESSALONICA, BER(EA AND 

ATHENS. Paul's Work Continued in Macedonia, 

and Begun in Achaia. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 355. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul, driven from Philippi 
experienced much success in Thessalonica and Bercea, and comparative failure in 
Athens; also to show from his subsequent references to his work in Thessalonica 
those characteristic features of his ministry there which bound his converts to him 
with strong love and loyalty. 



106 The Bible Study Manual. 

§356. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the les- 
son, follow Paul's route on the map, gather all available information about the 
places in which he labored, and decide, if possible, why in going from Philippi 
he took the course he did, rather than some other. 

(2) Note the manifestations of Paul's work in Thessalonica, preaching, as 
usual, first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles; the opposition of the former, and 
the joyful reception of the gospel by the latter; note also how, as usual, the very 
persecutions by which the hostile Jews tried to silence Paul proved the means of 
sending the gospel elsewhere. 

(3) In studying the apostle's reminiscences of his ministry in Thessalonica 
mark the features which seemed especially prominent, and discover, if possible, 
the reasons why this ministry was so powerful in winning men not only to the 
truth but to the apostle himself. 

(4) Call attention to the candid and fair consideration received by Paul and 
his message at the hands of the Bercean Jews, presenting as it does such a 
pleasing contrast to the attitude of the Jews in other places. 

(5) Point out the peculiar points in Paul's ministry in Athens, and the possible, 
or probable, reasons for his small success in this metropolis of the world's art and 
philosophy. 

(6) Picture, finally, his deep anxiety concerning the condition of the converts 
in Thessalonica, from whom he had been so suddenly driven away, and the 
grounds for this anxiety in their situation as sheep without a shepherd, surrounded 
by wolves, and tempted on every side to wander away from the fold. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

A CHURCH ESTABLISHED IN THESSALONICA. 

§357. From Philippi to Thessalonica. Having been "shamefully en- 
treated " and then honorably dismissed from Philippi, Paul and two of his 
companions, leaving Luke at Philippi, passing through other cities, came to 
Thessalonica. This celebrated city, distant about one hundred miles south-west 
from Philippi, was beautifully situated on the slope of a hill, at the northern end 
of the Thermaic Gulf. It was a great commercial city, the capital of the province 
and residence of the proconsul. After the battle of Philippi, on account of its 
attachment to the cause of Anthony, it was made a free city. Strabo mentions 
it as the largest city in Macedonia. ... At present it is considered the second 
city of European Turkey, and has a population of 70,000 [one half of whom are 
Jews, having no less than thirty-six synagogues]. — Ormiston : In Meyer's 
Commentary, Acts, p. 340. 

§ 358. Preaching in Thessalonica. Here they [Paid and Silas] found a 
synagogue, which for three weeks Paul visited on the Sabbath; the hearts of 
many proselytes were won by his addresses; and through them a way was opened 
for publishing the gospel among the heathen in the city. ... It is certain that 
the Gentiles, whose attention was awakened by the proselytes, soon assembled in 



Library Extracts on Lesson ig. 107 

various places to hear him, and from them chiefly a church was formed. — 
Neander : Planting and Training, p. 178. 

§359. Persecution by the Jews; Paul Escapes to Bercea. [At] 
Thessalonica he again experienced the undying hostility of his Jewish fellow- 
countrymen . . . [who were] roused to opposition, possibly because of St. Paul's 
success among the ( ientiles, who received his doctrines with such avidity that 
there believed " of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women 
not a few." . . . The Jews therefore, assisted by the pagans, assaulted the resi- 
dence of Jason, with whom St. Paul and his friends were staying. They missed 
the Apostles themselves, but they seized Jason and some of the apostolic band, or 
at least some of their converts whom they found in Jason's house, and brought 
them before the town magistrates. . . . The Apostles, however, escaped arrest, 
and the local brethren determined that they should incur no danger; so while 
the accused remained to stand their trial, Paul and Silas and Timotheus were 
despatched to Beroea, where they were for a time welcomed, and free discussion 
permitted in the synagogue concerning the truths taught by the Evangelists. — 
Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 295, 296. 

§ 360. Jason and his Associates Accused of Treason. The Julian 
Laws, 'ihe crime of which Jason and his associates were now accused . . . 
was treason ! The law of the Twelve Tables (the Magna Charta of Rome) had 
simply enacted, that " whoever excited an enemy against the state, or betrayed a 
citizen to an enemy, was to be punished with death." . . . The provisions of the 
Twelve Tables had been extended by what were called the Julian Laws, and by 
them treason was made to comprise various offences. " Whoever violated the 
majesty of the state" was declared a traitor; and upon the construction cf this 
general and vague clause it was impossible to say within what bounds the Imperial 
jealousy was to be confined. ... If one desired to overwhelm an enemy, and 
could find no plausible pretence for a prosecution, it was a common resource to 
call in aid the law of treason. . . . The punishment probably varied according 
to the heinousness of the offence. In some cases, the penalty was death; in 
others, . . . exile. The mildest sentence was confiscation of property. 

It was to the Julian Laws that the mob of Thessalonica now had recourse 
against Jason and his companions. They dragged them before the politarchs, 
saying, . . . "these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying, that ' There 
is another king, one jfesus.' " The Roman Proconsul was resident at Thessa- 
lonica, and the authorities would be alarmed at the idea of being thought disloyal. 
. . . The politarchs dared not dismiss the complaint; they contented themselves 
with taking bail from Jason and the rest. . . . We may also conjecture that the 
persecution thus begun against the Christians of Thessalonica was of some con- 
tinuance, for allusion is made to it in both the Epistles which Paul afterwards 
wrote to them. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 232-234. 

PAUL'S DESCRIPTION OF HIS WORK IN THESSALONICA. 

§361. Privations of Paul in Thessalonica. The Apostle, indeed, while 
at Thessalonica was at one and the same time the Christian advocate and the 
industrious artisan. lie had no private fortune. He had either already expended 
it upon the Gospel, or perhaps it had been confiscated by the Jews. ... It is 
likely that, notwithstanding his toil night and day, the Apostle at this time 
underwent very unusual privations. There had recently been throughout Greece 
so severe a famine, that a modus or peck of wheat was sold for ... six times 
the usual price. It is also probable that the Apostle still continued to labour 



108 The Bible Study Manual. 

under no little bodily infirmity . . .; so that he was less able to earn the wonted 
wages by personal exertion in the art of tentmaking. Fortunately, under such a 
concurrence of difficulties, assistance was rendered him from an unexpected 
quarter. . . . While Paul was at Thessalonica he twice received relief from the 
Philippians. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 229, 230. 

§362. Paul's Love for his Thessalonian Converts. [In 1 Thes. 2: 
I-12, Paul appeals to the church] as to unimpeachable witnesses of the earnest- 
ness of his visit to them, and of the boldness with which he had faced the 
dangers of Thessalonica, and after such recent and painful experience of the 
outrages of Philippi. . . . These appeals to their knowledge of the life and 
character and behaviour of Paul and his two fellow-missionaries would have 
been needless if they had never been impugned. . . . Such calumnies were too 
preposterous to be harmful; such innuendoes too malevolent to be believed. In 
order to disprove them he had but to appeal at once to notorious facts. . . . His 
Thessalonian friends knew, and God was witness, there had been no deceit, no 
uncleanness, no base motives, no secret avarice, no desire to win favour, no 
fawning flattery in the exhortations of the missionaries. They had come, not 
for selfishness, but for sacrifice; not for glory, but to pour out their hearts' ten- 
derness, and spend their very lives for the sake of their converts, cherishing them 
as tenderly as a nursing mother fosters her children in her warm bosom, yet 
waiving their own rights, and taking nothing whatever from them, nor laying the 
smallest burden upon them. . . . 

He goes on to tell them that regarding them as his glory and joy and crown of 
boasting at the coming of Christ — feeling, in his absence from them, like a 
father bereaved of his children — he had twice purposed to come to them, and 
had twice been hindered by Satan. . . . When Timothy rejoined him at Corinth, 
the news which he had brought back was so reassuring . . . that it had cheered 
the Apostle in the midst of his own heavy afflictions, and had been to him like 
a fresh spring of life. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 330, 331, 333. 

PAUL AND SILAS IN BEKCEA. 

§ 363. The Berceans Receive the Word. [At Bercea Paul] went, accord- 
ing to his custom, immediately to the synagogue. The Jews here were of a 
" nobler " spirit than those of Thessalonica. Their minds were less narrowed 
by prejudice, and they were more willing to receive " the truth in the love of 
it." ... In a spirit very different from the ignoble violence of the Thessalonian 
Jews, the Berceans not only listened to the Apostle's arguments, but they exam- 
ined the Scriptures themselves, to see if those arguments were justified by 
prophecy. And, feeling the importance of the subject presented to them, they 
made this scrutiny of their holy books their "daily" occupation. . . . The 
Apostle's visit resulted in the conversion of "many." Nor was the blessing 
confined to the Hebrew community. The same Lord who is "rich unto all that 
call upon Him," called many "not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." 
Both men and women, and those of the highest respectability, among the Greeks, 
were added to the church founded by St. Paul in that provincial city of Macedo- 
nia, which was his temporary shelter from the storm of persecution. — Conybeare 
and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 340. 

§ 364. Hostility of the Thessalonian Jews ; the Flight to Athens. 
The length of St. Paul's stay in the city is quite uncertain, . . . [but] we con- 
clude that he remained there several days at least. . . . The cause which led him 
to leave Bercea was the hostility of the Jews of Thessalonica, and when we 



Library Extracts on Lesson ig. 109 

remember that the two cities were only separated by a distance of sixty miles, — 
that the events which happened in the synagogue cf one city would soon be made 
known in the synagogue of the other, — and that Jewish bigotry was never long 
in taking active measures to crush its opponents, — we are led to the conclusion 
that the Apostle was forced to retreat from Bercea after no long interval of time. 
The Jews came like hunters upon their prey, as they had done before from 
Iconium to Lystra. They could not arrest the progress of the Gospel, but they 
"stirred up the people " there, as at Thessalonica before. They made his friends 
feel that his continuance in the city was no longer safe. He was withdrawn from 
Bercea and sent to Athens, as in the beginning of his ministry he had been with- 
drawn from Jerusalem and sent to Tarsus. . . . Silas and Timotheus remained 
behind, to build up [the church] in its holy faith, to be a comfort and support in 
its trials and persecutions, and to give it such organisation as might be necessary. 

— Conybeare and Hoivson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 340, 341. 

PAUL IN ATHENS. 

§365. Paul in Ancient Athens. Paul waited in Athens for the coming of 
Silas and Timothy. Whether they actually came, or not, we cannot tell. It is 
probable that Timothy came alone, but Paul was so exercised in mind about 
the Thessalonians that he at once sent him back to Macedonia to visit and 
strengthen them. But although alone in Athens, he was by no means idle. He 
was in the very citadel of heathenism, of idolatry. Athens was the seat of the 
greatest university in the world, and its professors were of course all heathen. It 
exerted the greatest influence on the thought and culture of the world. ... At 
this time it was the home of philosophy and philosophers. They wandered about 
through the streets, market-places, and cool colonnades, surrounded by their 
pupils, discussing the highest and most important questions as well as the most 
trivial. 

But Athens was also the home of the gods, for no other city had so many 
temples as she. . . . She was rich in works of art of all kinds, but especially in 
statues. . . . Athens was now falling into decay. . . . The genius of Paul is again 
made apparent by his conduct here. He easily adapted himself to the situation, 
and adopted the methods of the philosophers, and went about through the streets 
entering into conversation whenever opportunity presented itself, lie met some 
of the philosophers themselves, and to the gaping crowds that gathered about him 
he told the story of the cross and of the resurrection. — Thatcher : Apostolic 
Church, pp. 180-182. 

§366. Paul and the Trifling Philosophers. (1) The Epicureans and 
Stoics (the Sadducees and Pharisees of the Greeks), who, loitering about Athens 
in learned leisure, now proffered battle to the Apostle. Paul was little disposed 
to indulge their passion fur literary trifling, or to involve himself in the subtleties 
with which human reason had entangled itself. He disclaimed all the weapons 
of sophistry, and preached matters of fact plain and simple in themselves, how- 
ever repugnant to the preconceived notions of philosophy, viz., that Jesus of 
Nazareth had come into the world to save sinners, and had risen from the dead, 
the first-fruits of them that sleep. The Epicureans turned contemptuously to the 
bystanders and said, " What can this babbler mean?" while the Stoics assumed 
a more serious air, and charged him with an innovation of the state religion. 

— Lewiii : St. Taul, vol. i. p. 260. 

(2) Yet many among those who gathered around the apostle during his con- 
versations, were at least pleased to hear something new; and their curiosity was 



no The Bible Study Manual. 

excited to hear of the strange divinity whom he wished to introduce, and to be 
informed respecting his new doctrine. They took him to the hill, where the first 
tribunal at Athens, the Areopagus, was accustomed to hold its sittings, and where 
he could easily find a spot suited to a large audience. The discourse of Paul on 
this occasion is a living demonstration of his apostolic wisdom and eloquence: we 
here perceive how the apostle (to use his own language) to the heathens became 
a heathen, that he might gain the heathens to Christianity. — Meander ; Planting 
and Training, p. 184. 

§ 367. Paul's Defense of Christianity before the Athenians. The 

address as recorded by the historian contains the summary only of the Apostle's 
argument; but even in this compendium we cannot but admire the singular 
adroitness with which Paul adapted to his purpose existing circumstances, and the 
still more extraordinary boldness with which he enunciated his doctrines. He had 
been charged with introducing new divinities, and true, he had inculcated the one 
Supreme Being; but how admirably does he avail himself of the inscription on 
the altar ! Who could accuse him of innovation when he only expounded to the 
Atheniajis the attributes of the God whom they had ignorantly worshipped? . . . 

Again, what felicity, and at the same time what moral courage, is there in the 
reference of the Apostle to the scene by which he was surrounded ! . . . Imme- 
diately before him was the Acropolis, with the glorious Parthenon, and the colossal 
statue of Minerva, and a thousand other images, many of them glittering with 
gold and silver. How impressively, but with what peril, must he have uttered the 
words, " God that made the world, and all things there, seeing that he is Lord of 
Heaven and Earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands ! Forasmuch as we 
are the offsgring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold 
or silver, or stone, graven by art and marts device." How happy, too, amongst 
a literary people, was Paul's citation of the poets. . . . 

The closing of the Apostle's discourse was directed against the mistaken notions 
of the Athenians as to Jesus and the Resurrection. The latter was no goddess, 
as they supposed; but the Apostle meant to teach that all should rise at the last 
day, and should be judged by that man whom God had appointed. Simple 
throughout as is the language of the preacher, yet observe how, in the compass of 
a few words, he tells them the noblest truths. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 
263-266. 

§ 368. The Effect of Paul's Speech on the Athenians. On that hill of 
Ares, before that throng, Paul spoke no more. He went from the midst of them, 
sorry, it may be, for their jeers, seeing through their spiritual incapacity, but 
conscious that in that city his public work, at least, was over. He could brave 
opposition; he was discouraged by indifference. One dignified adherent, indeed, 
he found — but one only — in Dionysius the Areopagite; and one more in a 
woman — possibly a Jewess — whose name is uncertain : but at Athens he 
founded no church, to Athens he wrote no epistle, and in Athens, often as he 
passed its neighbourhood, he never set foot again. ... St. Paul was despised and 
ridiculed, and he does not for a moment attempt to represent it otherwise; St. 
Paul's speech . . . was [notwithstanding its eloquence] an all but total failure, 
and St. Luke does not conceal its ineffectiveness. . . . 

He left Athens as he had lived in it, a despised and lonely man. ... Of all 
who visit Athens, myriads connect it with the name of Paul. . . . They think not 
of Cicero, of Virgil, of Germanicus, but of the wandering tent-maker. . . . He 
founded no church at Athens, but there ... a church grew up. In the next 
century it furnished to the cause of Christianity its martyr bishops and its eloquent 
apologists. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 312, 313. 



Practical Suggestions o?i Lesson iq. 1 1 1 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 369. The Model Pastor. The first twelve verses of 1 Thessalonians give, 
with mirror-like precision, the picture of the ideal pastor in his relations to his 
church. Paul's self-sacrificing labor, his unwearied love, his gentleness, his 
humility, his zeal combined with his energy, his greatness of soul, his supreme 
loyalty to Christ, are points in which every teacher and pastor may well follow 
his example. 

§370. The Divine Purpose in Persecution. Paul and his companions 
\vere preserved from dangers on every hand, and from the malignant hostility of 
their enemies. Not only in spite of, but in consequence of, all this bitter 
opposition the work went on the more rapidly and church after church was 
established on every hand. 

§371. Candid Investigation, the Path to Truth. The honorable distinction 
of the Bercean Jews, as compared with their countrymen elsewhere, was this ; that 
they were willing to grant an unprejudiced investigation to the things spoken by 
Paul, to see whether they were so. No one who has fully, fairly and honestly 
examined into the truth of Christianity, has ever rejected it, unless his rejection 
has been inspired by unwillingness to submit to its requirements. 

§ 372. Man's Instinctive Craving after God. In every human heart there 
is an inborn desire to know God and to be at peace with him. The Athenian 
altar to AX UN KNOWN GOD was but an expression of this " dim unsatisfied 
longing." The gods whom the heathen discover in nature are angry deities whose 
wrath is to be appeased; but the God of revelation whom the Christian worships 
is a loving Father whose service is perfect liberty. 

§ 373. The Pride of Human Wisdom. Paul's discreet and conciliatory 
prelude to his address on Mars' Hill opened the way for him to present to his 
audience the theme of salvation; but he gained only one convert from those 
whom he had sought to reach. In Athens " which represented the highest 
attainments in human wisdom and genius" the gospel could gain no entrance 
as yet. The pride and self-sufficiency of human wisdom present greater obstacles 
to the reception of divine truth, than ignorance, hard-hearted ness, or even vice 
and crime. 

§ 374. Three Classes of Heroes. As when Paul preached in Athens, so 
whenever the gospel is faithfully presented to men, it tends to divide them into 
three classes, those who openly reject the truth and mock at it, the many who 
hesitate and say they will hear about this matter again before they decide, and the 
few who at once recognize the truth as from God and cleave to it with all 
their hearts. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The Work of Timothy During Paul's Absence in Athens: Meyer, 
Commentary, Acts, pp. 341, 342. 2. The Agora, or Market: Lewm, Life and 
Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 254-257. 3. Beliefs OF THE Epicureans and 
Stoics: Gloag, Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 148, 149. 4. The Areopagus: 
Lew'm,\J\ie. and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 261, 262; Gloag, Commentarv, Acts, 
vol. ii.pp. 150, 151. 5. The Unknown God: Ibid., pp. 154-156. 6. Legendary 
ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ALTAR, " TO AN UNKNOWN GOD": Abbott, 
Commentary, Acts, pp. 195, 196. 



H2 The Bible Study Manual, 

Lesson 20. -THE FOUNDING OF THE CHUKCH IN 00EINTH, 

AND THE EETUEN TO SYEIA. The Continuation and Close 

of the Second Missionary Journey. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 375. Design of the Lesson. To show the nature of Paul's work and 
experiences during the Jatter part of the second missionary journey, which included 
the establishing of the church in Corinth, and the return from Corinth to Antioch 
in Syria. 

§376. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Learn as much as 
possible of ancient Corinth — its population, commerce, culture, wealth, luxury, 
and morals; and judge of Paul's reasons for choosing, as the center of a pro- 
longed evangelistic work, a place so infamous for its corruption. 

(2) Note the character of his work there; its leading incidents; his arduous 
toil and self-support; his reasons for so strenuously refusing support from the 
converts there while accepting aid from other churches; the discouragements 
that arose from bitter opposition, and the encouragement that came from the 
assurance of divine approval and help. 

(3) Note the character of Paul's preaching in Corinth, its simplicity and 
directness; its avoidance of all rhetorical embellishments and worldly wisdom, 
and its constant presentation of the one great theme "Jesus Christ and him 
crucified." Consider whether in this style of preaching Paul was at all influenced 
by his recent experiences in Athens. 

(4) Call attention to the chronic hostility of the Jews which finally broke out 
in their attempt to secure Paul's condemnation by Gallio, but which in this case 
resulted in their own discomfiture and humiliation. 

(5) When Paul's work in Corinth was ended, follow him on his return to Syria, 
noting on the map his route and the places at which he stopped; then give in a 
few words a resume of this journey, and the substantial results achieved by it. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL'S WORK IN CORINTH. 

§ 377. Ancient Corinth. Corinth was the seat of government, and lay at 
a distance of forty miles from Athens, and was situated at the south-western 
extremity of the isthmus, on an elevated table land at the foot of Acrocorinthus, 
a mountain which towered to the skies on the south, and overlooked the city 
spread along its northern base. . . . Corinth had always possessed great impor- 
tance, not only as a military position, as holding the keys of the Peloponnesus, 
but also from the extensive trade that flowed thither both by land and sea. . . . 
In the time of Alexander the Great, Corinth . . . was taken and utterly destroyed, 
and Achaia became a Roman province. Corinth lay in ruins for a century, and 
then Julius Caesar founded it anew, and sent thither a Roman colony, consisting 



Library Extracts on Lesson 20. I 13 

principally of freedmen, among whom were great numbers of the Jewish 
race. ... 

[While in Corinth] by what a scene of iniquity was the Apostle surrounded! 
He who had mortified the flesh, and even refrained from marriage, that he might 
be the unencumbered soldier of his Divine Master, was now within a city where 
lasciviousness held her obscenest revels. Suffice it to say that to the temple of 
Venus were attached more than a thousand courtesans, under the cover of reli- 
gious rites. . . . Such was the Augean stable which the Christian Hercules now 
addressed himself to purify. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 269-272. 

§ 37S. Paul's Reasons for Going to Corinth. The reasons which deter- 
mined St. Paul to come to Corinth (over and above the discouragement he seems 
to have met with in Athens) were, probably, twofold. In the first place, it was a 
large mercantile city, in immediate connection with Rome and the west of the 
Mediterranean, with Thessalonica and Ephesus in the /Egean, and with Antioch 
and Alexandria in the East. The Gospel once established in Corinth, would 
rapidly spread elsewhere. And, again, from the very nature of the city, the Jews 
established there were numerous. ... A religion which was first to be planted in 
the Synagogue, and was thence intended to scatter its seeds over all parts of the 
earth, could nowhere find a more favourable soil than among the Hebrew fami- 
lies at Corinth. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, p. 385. 

§ 379. Banishment of the Jews from Rome, by Claudius. At this 
particular time [a.d. 52 or 53] there were a greater number of Jews in the city 
[Corinth] than usual; for they had lately been banished from Rome by command 
of the Emperor Claudius. The history of this edict is involved in some obscurity. 
But there are abundant passages in the contemporary Heathen writers which show 
the suspicion and dislike with which the Jews were regarded. Notwithstanding 
the general toleration, they were violently persecuted by three successive 
emperors; and there is good reason for identifying the edict mentioned by St. 
Luke with that alluded to by Suetonius, who says that Claudius drove the Jews 
from Rome because they were incessantly raising tumults at the instigation of a 
certain Chrestus. . . . 

Some have held that there was really a Jew called Chrestus, who had excited 
political disturbances : others that the name is used by mistake for Christus, and 
that the disturbances had arisen from the Jewish expectations concerning the 
Messiah, or Christ. . . . We have seen how the first progress of Christianity had 
been th^ occasion of tumult among the Jewish communities in the provinces; 
and there is no reason why the same might not have happened in the capital 
itself. . . . Chrestus was a common name; Christus was not: and we have a 
distinct statement by Tertullian and Lactantius that in their clay the former was 
often used for the latter. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. i, pp. 385, 386. 

§380. Tent-making and Preaching in Corinth. It was into the midst of 
this mongrel and heterogeneous population of Greek adventurers and Roman 
bourgeois, with a tainting infusion of Phoenicians . . . that the toil-worn Jewish 
wanderer made his way. He entered it as he had entered Athens — a stricken 
and lonely worker. . . . Lest these covetous shopkeepers and traders should be 
able to charge him with seeking his own gain, he determined to accept nothing 
at their hands. There seemed to be a fair chance that he would be able to earn 
his bread by tent-making in a port so universally frequented. In this respect he 
was unusually fortunate. He found a Jew of Pontus, named Aquila, who worked 
at his trade with his wife Priscilla. . . . 

It is probable that they were already Christians, and Paul formed with them a 



ii4 The Bible Study Manual. 

life-long friendship, to which he owed many happy hours. ... At Corinth, as 
subsequently at Ephesus, Paul worked in their employ, and shared in their profits. 
These profits, unhappily, were scanty. It was a time of general pressure, and 
though the Apostle toiled night and day, all his exertions were unable to keep the 
wolf from the door [except as he was aided by the Macedonian churches, see 
§382]. . . . Even when he was working the hardest, he could still be giving 
instruction to all who sought him. But now, as ever, the rest of the Sabbath 
furnished him with his chief opportunity. On that day he was always to be 
found in the Jewish synagogue, and his weekly discourses produced a deep 
impression both on Jews and Greeks. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 315, 317, 318. 

§381. Silas and Timothy Arrive from Macedonia. Paul had been 
labouring at Corinth some two or three months, when Silas and Timothy arrived 
together from Macedonia. Timothy had been despatched by Paul from Athens 
by sea to Thessalonica, a church which was under the particular charge of 
Timothy; and, having executed his mission, he had passed by land from Thes- 
salonica to Bercea, and there rejoined Silas, who had been left in care of that 
church. . . . The report of Timothy from Thessalonica was in the main highly 
satisfactory. The converts had maintained their faith against the persecution of 
their enemies, and, retaining their devotion to the Apostle, had been anxious for 
his safety as he had been for theirs, and longed to see him again. — Lewin : St. 
Paul, vol. i, pp. 276, 277. 

§ 382. Paul Receives Help from the Philippians. The arrival of Silas 
and Timothy was in every way calculated to give him comfort. In the first place, 
Paul had been enduring great privations from the famine which had of late pre- 
vailed throughout Greece. To the day of his death, he would receive no support 
from the Corinthian church, that his enemies (and he had many there) might not 
misconstrue it. He wrought night and day with his own hands, at his craft of 
tentmaking; yet, from the severity of the time, he could not earn the necessities 
of life in sufficient abundance. It was while he was in this strait that . . . [there 
was] brought him relief from Macedonia. The Apostle afterwards, in writing to 
the Corinthians, alludes to this seasonable supply, and anxiously justifies his con- 
duct in refusing aid from the Corinthians themselves [2 Cor. 1 1 : 7-12]. — Lewin : 
St. Paul, vol. i, p. 277. 

§383. The Jews Reject the Gospel; Paul Turns to the Gentiles. 

Crispus, indeed, the governor of the synagogue, had been converted with all his 
house. . . . But, as a body, the Jews met him with an opposition which at last 
found expression in the sort of language of which the Talmud furnishes some 
terrible specimens. No further object could be served by endeavouring to con- 
vince them, and at last he shook off the dust of his garments, and calling them to 
witness that he was innocent of their blood, he announced that from that day 
forth he should preach only to the Gentiles. 

Already he had converted some Gentiles of humble and probably of slavish 
origin, the first among these being the household of Stephanas. With Crispus 
and these faithful converts, he migrated from the synagogue to a room close by, 
which was placed at his disposal by a proselyte of the name of Justus. In this 
room he continued to preach for many months. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 319. 

THE MANNER OF PAUL'S PREACHING IN CORINTH. 

§ 384. Paul's Gospel Vo the Corinthians. The great majority of the con- 
gregation collected by Paul and his associates, Silas and Timothy, were, no doubt, 
formerly pagans, and chiefly, though not entirely, from the lower classes. For in 
I Cor. 1 : 26-30, Paul himself says, that there were not many wise men after the 



Library Extracts on Lesson 20. 115 

flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, among them, but that God had chosen 
those that were foolish and weak in the eyes of the world, to display the more 
gloriously in them the power of the gospel, and to put to shame the pride of the 
wise and strong. The apostle had seen in Athens how little susceptibility, gener- 
ally speaking, the higher and m< re cultivated circles had for the gospel, which so 
directly and (irmly opposed their Sadducean or Pharisnic spirit, lie had, 
accordingly, determined to appear in Corinth, not with the wisdom and eloquence 
of man, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of pjwer, with the unadorned 
simplicity of the glad tidings to poor sinners. lie had resolved to know nothing 
among them, save Jesus Christ and him crucified, in whom, however, is found 
all that is needful for salvation. 

This brought out all the more sharply the opposition between the world and 
Christianity, and left grace to operate only with the greater purity and power. 
The apostle, indeed, met with violent resistance from the pride of wisdom in the 
Greeks, the passion for wonders in the Jews, and the moral corruption of the 
people generally. He had also to sustain painful struggles in his own breast, 
. . . and needed special encouragement from the Lord in a vision. But, in spite 
of all, his preaching in this city was attended with uncommon success, and the 
church there spread its influence over the whole province of Achaia. — Schaff : 
Apostolic Church, p. 274. 

PAUL BEFORE GALEIO. THE RETURN TO SYRIA. 

§385. The Opposition of the Jews; Paul Brought before Gallio. The 
Jews are again represented as the cause of the trouble and opposition. They 
brought Paul before Gallio with the charge that he was teaching men to worship 
God contrary to their law. They did not attempt to hide the real nature of the 
charges and there was no resort to any political accusations. . . . Gallio looked 
upon the whole matter as one of little moment. He was angry that they should 
have disturbed him and tried to make him the judge in the matter of their law. 
It was only a Jewish theological quarrel and they might settle it among them- 
selves. He was willing to act as judge in matters which involved the principle of 
right and wrong, but in their wars about words he would take no part. With this 
rebuke he ordered them to be driven from his presence. But this was not the end 
of the matter. 

They had dug a pit for another, they themselves were yet to fall into it. Their 
turbulence and troublesomeness had made even the mild Gallio impatient and 
indifferent, and the fickle mob took advantage of the opportunity to vent their 
dislike upon them. They laid hold of Sosthenes, who had been made ruler of the 
synagogue in place of Crispus who had become a Christian, and gave him a sound 
beating. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 189, 190. 

§386. St. Paul Leaves Corinth and Goes to Ephesus. The attempt of 
the Jews marked the termination of St. Paul's work in Corinth. It was at least 
the beginning of the end. He had now laboured longer in Corinth than any- 
where else since he started out from Antioch. He had organised and consoli- 
dated the Church, as we can see from his Corinthian Epistles, and now he longed 
once more to visit his old friends, and report what God had wrought by his means 
during his long absence. He tarried, therefore, yet a while, visiting doubtless the 
various Churches which he had established throughout all the province of Achaia, 
and then, accompanied by a few companions, set sail for Syria, to declare the 
results of his eventful mission, taking Ephesus on his way. This was his first 
visit to that great city, and he was probably led to pay it owing to the commer- 
cial necessities of Aquila. — Stokes: Acts, vol. ii, pp. 329, 330. 



1 1 6 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 387. Paul's First Preaching in Ephesus. Leaving them [Aquila and 
PriscillaJ to establish themselves in their craft [Paul] began, under the pressure 
of his eagerness to reach Jerusalem, an independent course of teaching in the 
synagogues. . . . The Jewish population [of Ephesus] was sufficiently numerous 
to have a synagogue, and St. Paul, as usual, appeared in it as a teacher. . . . 
They [the Jews] desired him to tarry longer time with them. This was, obvi- 
ously, a hopeful sign, the earnest of the fruitful labours that followed. Nowhere, 
among the churches that he founded, does St. Paul seem to have found so great 
receptivity for spiritual truth. While he looked on the Corinthians as being chil- 
dren requiring to be fed with milk, he saw in the Ephesians those to whom he did 
not shun to declare "the whole counsel of God," to whom he could, at a later 
date, appeal as able to measure his knowledge of the mystery of the gospel. — 
Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 305. 

§ 388. Paul again Visits Jerusalem. [From Csesarea] he hastened to Jeru- 
salem, \\ hich he was now visiting for the fourth time after his conversion. He 
had entered it once a changed man; he had entered it a second time with a timely 
contribution from the Church of Antioch to the famine-stricken poor; a third 
time he had come to obtain a decision of the loud disputes between the Judaic 
and the liberal Christians which threatened, even thus early, to rend asunder the 
seamless robe of Christ. Four years had now elapsed, and he came once more, a 
weak and persecuted missionary, to seek the sympathy of the early convert', to 
confirm his faithful spirit of unity with them, to tell them the momentous tidings 
of churches founded during this his second journey, not only in Asia, but for the 
first time in Europe also, and even at places so important as Philippi, Thessalonica, 
and Corinth. 

Had James, and the circle of which he was the centre, only understood how 
vast for the future of Christianity would be the issues of these perilous and toil- 
some journeys . . . with what affection and admiration would they have wel- 
comed him ! How would they have striven, by every form of kindness, of 
encouragement, of honour, of heartfelt prayer, to arm and strengthen him, and to 
fire into yet brighter lustre his grand enthusiasm, so as to prepare him in the 
future for sacrifices yet more heroic, for efforts yet more immense ! Had anything 
of the kind occurred, St. Luke . . . — St. Paul himself, in his account to the 
Galatians of his relations to the twelve — could hardly have failed to tell us about 
it. So far from this, St. Luke hurries over the brief visit in the three words that 
" he saluted the Church." . . . There is too much reason to fear that his reception 
was cold and ungracious; that even if James received him with courtesy, the 
Judaic Christians who surrounded " the Lord's brother " did not; and even that a 
jealous dislike of that free position towards the Law which he established amongst 
his Gentile converts, led to that determination on the part of some of them to 
follow in his track and to undermine his influence, which, to the intense embitter- 
ment of his latter days, was so fatally successful. It must have been with a sad 
heart, with something even of indignation at this unsympathetic coldness, that St. 
Paul hurriedly terminated his visit. But none of these things moved him. He 
did but share them with his Lord, whom the Pharisees had hated and the Saddu- 
cees had slain. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 353. 

§ 389. Resume of Paul's Second Missionary Journey. [The return to 
Antioch] terminated Paul's second missionary journey. It was much more exten- 
sive than the first. Besides visiting the churches formerly planted by him in Cili- 
cia and [in Galatia on his first missionary journey, he] . . . crossed over to 
Europe and planted Christianity in at least four cities — Philippi, Thessalonica, 
Berea, and Corinth, — perhaps also in Athens. The time spent in this journey 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 20. 



117 



has been variously estimated. In Corinth we are told that he resided for at least 
a year and a half; and to this has to be added the time spent in [revisiting the 
churches in Galatia and in] preaching the gospel in . . . Macedonia. Wiesler 
supposes two years and si\ months : but this is too short a period to embrace all 
that Paul performed : in all probability, the journey occupied at least three years. 
If we suppose, as is most probable, that he left Antioch in the year a.d. 51 [52], 
his return may be fixed in the year A.D. 54. — Gloag ; Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, 
p. 1S2. 




Map of St. Paul's second missionary jou 



rney. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 



§ 390. The Laborer Worthy of his Hire. Paul's example in earning his 
bread while preaching at Corinth is not a rule for others. He distinctly states 
that peculiar conditions alone warranted his course of action. People value most 
the things that cost them most, while the things that cost them least are least 
appreciated. 

§391. Turning to the Gentiles. Even as the antagonism of the Corinthian 
Jews shut them out from the truth, so now the indifference of men who have long 
heard the gospel places them beyond the reach of salvation. By rejecting the gos- 
pel again and again, they ultimately lose the capacity of being impressed by the 
truth when they hear it. The history of the Salvation Army of our own day is an 
illustration of the modern " turning of the Gentiles." 



n8 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 392. Preaching Christ and him Crucified. The simple truth of a Sav- 
iour's love for sinful men is the surest motive with which to appeal to the human 
heart. To the " Greeks " this is " foolishness," but to millions it is the power of 
God unto salvation. Learned dissertations on speculative truths have no place in 
the pulpit when men are hungering for the Bread of Life. 

§ 393- Divine Encouragement for the Despondent. As Paul, when sorely 
depressed at Corinth, was greatly comforted and stimulated by the divine assurance 
given him concerning his work in that city, so to every child of God seasons of 
depression and discouragement will come; but to him who desires above every- 
thing else to submit his life t# divine guidance, light will arise in darkness, and 
through prayer and communion with God he will feel himself girded for toil, 
strengthened for trial, and inspired for victory. 

§ 394. The Need and the Power of Sympathy. Paul was greatly com- 
forted by the coming of Silas and Timothy to Corinth. Though it is the fate of 
great men to stand alone, and to be little understood, Paul's ardent and unselfish 
love, craving human sympathy, leaped over the distance between himself and 
other men, and drew them to him not only because he needed them, but because 
they needed him. So Christ, though he stands farthest apart from humanity, 
comes nearest to us, enters most perfectly into our feelings, and draws every 
responsive heart into fellowship with himself. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

I. AQUILA AND PRISCILLA: Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 292^-295,2 ; Cambridge 
Bible, Acts, p. 232. 2. Claudius Cesar: Ency. Brit., vol. v, Art., "Claudius," pp. 
8i6£, 817a; Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Claudius." 3. THE Nazirite Vow: 
Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., Nazarite, p. 2073 ff. 4. Two Views of the Vow (Acts 18 : 
18) ; Taken BY AQUILA : Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. i, 
p. 422 and note ; Taken BY Paul : Lew in, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, p. 299, note ; 
Neander, Planting and Training, p. 203, note ; Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 240. 5. TlTUS 
JUSTUS : Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 297^, 298a. 6. GALLIO, THE PROCONSUL 
OF Achaia : Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Gallic" 7. The Return to 
Antioch by Way of Jerusalem : Neander, Planting and Training, pp. 202-207, 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 21. -EEEOES 0E THE THESSALONIANS COEEEOTED. The 

Expectation of the Church Concerning the Coming Again 

of Christ, 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§395. Design of the Lesson. To show Paul's deep solicitude for the wel- 
fare of the church in Thessalonica from which he had been suddenly driven away, 
his joy over their steadfastness, and his instructions and counsels in view of the 
anticipated speedy coming again of the Lord. 

§396. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) After reading Note 33 
in the Progressive Grade Quarterly which states the reasons that led Paul to write 
the two letters to the Thessalonians, read carefully the epistles themse.'ves so as 
to get a general idea of their contents. 

(2) Note that in these letters, as Paul's usual custom is, he begins by giving 
thanks for the faith, love, and steadfastness of those whom he addresses. If 
reproofs or corrections follow, the commendations come first. 

(3) Recall the sayings of Jesus, and of the angels after his ascension, which 
led his disciples to expect his speedy return; show how this expectation extended 
throughout the early church, and how it rested on the teachings of the apostles 
themselves (see I Thes. 4: 13 — 5: 11 ; Jas. 5: 7-9; 2 Pet. 3: 1— 13). 

(4) Emphasize the fact that even though the apostles themselves mistook 
regarding the actual time of Christ's coming again, and though our Lord himself 
did not know when it would occur (Mt. 24: 36), this does not prove that they 
were in error respecting the fact itself. The certainty that Christ will come again 
rests on his own words, though we are not permitted to know the time. 

(5) Point out what was the natural effect in the church at Thessalonica of an 
undue emphasis put on the hope of Christ's immediate second advent — how it 
disturbed the peace and comfort of the church, leading some to give up their 
daily work, to spend their time in idle waiting, and to subsist on the charity 
of others. 

(6) Call attention finally to some of the comforting assurances that came to 
the Thessalonians respecting their friends who had already fallen asleep in Jesus, 
the certainty that all who believe in him shall ultimately be with him, and the 
necessity in the meantime for watchfulness and sobriety. 

119 



i2o The Bible Study Manual. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

For further notes on the work of Paul at Thessalonica, and the church at that place, see §§ 357- 
362, Lesson 19, pp. 106-108. 

§397. The First Epistle to the Thessalonians. (1) Occasion of its 
Writing. — The persecution which had driven the apostle from Thessalonica soon 
also broke out against the church. Thus it was not the mere yearning of personal 
love and attachment, but also care and anxiety that urged him to hasten back to 
Thessalonica. Twice he resolved to do so, but circumstances prevented him. 
Accordingly, no longer able to master his anxiety, he sent Timotheus ... in order 
to receive from him information concerning the state of the church, to strengthen 
the Thessalonians by exhortation, and to encourage them to faithful endurance. 
The return of Timotheus, and the message which he brought, were the occasion 
of the Epistle. 

This message was in the main consolatory. The church, in spite of persecution 
and trial, continued stedfast. . . . But Timotheus had also to tell of defect and 
incompleteness. The church had not yet succeeded in preserving itself unstained 
by the two cardinal vices of heathenism — sensuality and covetousness; they had 
not everywhere shown to the presbyters due respect and obedience; and in con- 
sequence of their thought and feeling being inordinately directed to the advent of 
Christ, an unsettled and excited habit prevailed, which led to the neglect of the 
duties of their earthly calling, and to idleness. Lastly, the church was in great 
perplexity concerning the fate of their deceased Christian friends, being uncertain 
whether only those who were alive, or whether also deceased Christians, partici- 
pated in the blessings of the advent. . . . 

(2) Design. — The design of the Epistle accordingly was threefold. I. The 
apostle, whilst testifying his joy for their conduct hitherto, would strengthen and 
encourage the church to persevering stedfastness in the confession of Christianity. 
2. He would exhort them to relinquish those moral weaknesses by which they 
were still enfeebled. 3. He would calm and console them concerning the fate of 
the deceased by a more minute instruction in reference to the advent. — Meyer: 
Commentary, Thessalonians, pp. 433, 434. 

§ 398. The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. After writing the First 
Epistle St. Paul received further tidings from Thessalonica, which moved him to 
write a Second. The situation of the Church remained, for the most part, the 
same, but accentuated in its leading features. We gather from the opening Acts 
of Thanksgiving that the storm of persecution was still more violent and the 
fidelity of the church even more conspicuous than when the Apostle wrote a few 
months before. . . . 

There are two things which he is wishful to say. First and chiefly, about the 
Second Advent. ... A report was circulated, claiming prophetic origin, and 
alleged to have St. Paul's authentication, to the effect that " the day of the Lord 
had arrived " and He must be looked for immediately. This the Apostle declares 
to be a deception. And he gives reasons . . . why so speedy a consummation 
was impossible. . . . 

The other object . . . is to reprove the disorderly fraction of the Church. . . . 
It was connected with the prevalent excitement on the subject of Christ's advent. 
This expectation furnished an excuse and incentive to the neglect of ordinary 
labour. The Apostle now takes the offenders severely to task, and directs their 
brethren to refuse support from the funds of the Church to such as persisted in 
idleness, and to avoid their company. — Findlay : In Cambridge Bible, Thessa- 
lonians, pp. 25, 26. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 21. 121 

§ 399» Time and Place of Writing. The two Epistles were written . . . 
from Corinth; not from Athens, as it is stated in the concluding note, or "sub- 
scription," attached to the Epistles in the MSS. followed by the Authorised 
English Version. They were both composed during the Apostle's residence cf 
eighteen months in Corinth, extending from Autumn 53 to Spring 55 A.D. (pos- 
sibly 52-54). They belong therefore, as nearly as we can judge, to the winter of 
53-54 A.D. , — the last year of the Emperor Claudius. — Findlay : In Cambridge 
Bible, Thessalonians, p. 27. 

§400. The General Structure of Paul's Epistles. Except when special 
circumstances, as in the Epistle to the Corinthians, modify his ordinary plan, his 
letters consist, as a rule, of six parts, viz. : — I , a solemn salutation ; 2, an expression 
of thankfulness to Cod for His work among those to whom he is writing; 3, a 
section devoted to religious doctrine; 4, a section devoted to practical exhorta- 
tion; 5, a section composed of personal details and greetings; and 6, the final 
autograph benediction which served to mark the authenticity of the Epistle. — 
Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 343, 344. 

§401. The City of Thessalonica. Thessalonica was formerly called Therma, 
and the gulf on which it stood was named Thermaicus Sinus, on account of the 
hot salt springs which abounded in the vicinity. . . . The origin of the present 
name has been variously accounted for. According to Strabo, Therma was 
rebuilt by Cassander, who added to it the population of three small towns near 
it, and called it Thessalonica, after his wife, a daughter of Philip. Stephen of 
Byzantium records, that Philip . . . gave the name in honour of his daughter. 
. . . Xerxes, according to Herodotus, paused at Therma, while his fleet cruised 
in the gulf, and his army lay at a short distance . . . Thessalonica still survives 
. . . [as] Saloniki. . . . 

Thessalonica, rebuilt about B.C. 315, is first mentioned by Polybius and Livy as 
a great naval station. ... At the period of the first Roman civil war it was 
occupied by the party of Pompey, but during the second it sided with Anthony 
and Octavius, and was on that account made an urbs libra [free city]. . . . 
Thessalonica has passed through many vicissitudes, but it is still the second city 
in European Turkey. ... In the third century it was made a Roman colony, and 
it was the great bulwark of the empire during the Cothic inroads and the six 
Sclavonian wars. . . . Thessalonica was three times taken — by the Saracens in 
904, byTancred and the Normans in 11 85, and by the Turks under Amurath II, in 
1430. Numerous and imposing monuments of its earlier greatness are still to be 
found in it. The old Roman road forms at the present day the main thorough- 
fare, and two of its arches may yet be seen. — Eadie : Commentary, Thessa- 
lonians, pp. 1-3. 

PAUL'S THANKSGIVING ON ACCOUNT OF THE THESSALONIANS. 

§ 402. Occasion of Paul's Gratitude. The expression of thankfulness on 
behalf of the Thessalonians is peculiarly full and earnest. It is an overflow of 
heartfelt gratitude, as indeed the special characteristic of the letter is its sweet- 
ness. St. Paul tells them that he is always giving thanks o God for them all, 
mentioning them in his prayers, filled with the ever-present, memory of the activity 
of their faith, the energy of their love, the patience of their hope. He reminds 
them of the power and fulness and spiritual unction which nad accompanied his 
preaching of the Gospel, and how they had become imitators of him and of 
Christ with such spiritual gladness in the midst of such deep affliction that they 
had become models to all the Churches of Northern and Southern Greece, and 
their faith had been as a trumpet-blast through all the Mediterranean coasts. — 
Farrar ; St. Paul, p, 330. 



122 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 403. The Three Christian Graces. The salutation in St. Paul's epistles is 
regularly followed by thanksgiving. . . . Before he thinks of congratulating, 
teaching, exhorting, admonishing, he gives God thanks for the tokens of His grace 
in the Thessalonians. . . . The Apostle recalls, in each particular case, the special 
manifestations of Christian character which inspire his gratitude. Sometimes, as 
in 1st Corinthians, they are less spiritual — gifts, rather than graces; utterance 
and knowledge, without charity; sometimes, as here, they are eminently spiritual 
— faith, love, and hope. The conjunction of these three in the earliest of Paul's 
letters is worthy of remark. They occur again in the well-known passage in 
1 Cor. 13. . . . They occur a third time in one of the later epistles — that to the 
Colossians — and in the same order as here. . . . 

But it is not simply faith, love, and hope that are in question here : " we re- 
member," says the Apostle, " your work of faith and labour of love and patience 
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." We call faith, love, and hope the Christian 
graces. . . . They have a beauty of their own . . . it is a beauty not in form or 
colour, not appealing to the eye or the imagination, but only to the spirit which 
has seen and loved Christ, and loves His likeness in whatever guise. . . . Remem- 
bering their work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope, in the 
presence of our God and Father, the Apostle gives thanks to God always for them 
all. — Denney : Thessalonians, pp. 21, 23, 25, 26, 32. 

THE COMING AGAIN OF THE LORD. 

§ 404. The Fact of the Second Coming of Christ. The Scriptures, in 
both Testaments, abound in prophetic announcements of divine manifestations 
which are to be concluded by a final consummation in the personal and perma- 
nent appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The announcements 
are made in such phrases as, "the end of the world," "coming," "appearing," 
"revelation," "the day of the Lord," "the last day," " the great day," "that 
day." The prophecies themselves cover a vast extent of time, and apparently 
relate to a great number of religious epochs. The observance of what may be 
called prophetic prospective makes it extremely difficult, if not simply impossible, 
fully to interpret the prophecies until after their fulfillment. We know that the 
phrase "end of the world" was applied by the apostle to the end of Judaism and 
the introduction of the gospel; . . . and was also used by our Lord to denote 
the period of his final appearing. . . . The phrase " coming of the Son of Man," 
is in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew referred, both to the destruction of 
Jerusalem, and to the literal end of the mediatorial dispensation and of the 
present cosmical constitution. . . . 

We need not wonder, therefore, that though there is a very great degree of 
unanimity among the theologians regarding the fact of the final personal 
coming of our Lord, there yet exists great diversity of views regarding the pre- 
liminaries and adjuncts of that coming. The most that we can venture to say 
with confidence is, that, prior to the personal coming of Christ, the gospel will 
have achieved its widest and ablest possible results under the dispensation of the 
Spirit. The Jews, as a nation, will have been made partakers of the blessings of 
Christianity, which itself will have come into a deadly and final conflict with error 
and irreligion; then Christ will suddenly, unexpectedly, but unmistakably, appear; 
and his appearance will be followed by a simultaneous resurrection of both the 
righteous and wicked dead, with an instantaneous change of all the living, and by 
a final and an irrevocable dismission of the righteous and the wicked to their 
final and irrevocable estate. — Robinson : Christian Theology, pp. 347, 348. 

§405. The Day of the Lord. The day of the Lord, yet future, is the day 
on which, most assuredly, all thoughts will turn to him, whether willingly or by 



Library Extracts on Lesson 21. 123 

constraint, whether in terror or in joy; the day in which his truth will silence into 
nothingness all human errors and guesses at truth, in which his justice will takr 
the place of all that is named justice, rightly or wrongly, among the sons of men; 
the clay in which everything else but he will be lost sight of, and will be as 
though it were not, in which the eternal reality of his relation to the world and 
to man will also be the acknowledged reality. It is the day on which he will 
bring the vast and complex moral account between himself and his responsible 
creatures to a close — to a final, irreversible decision. As surely as we have seen 
this morning's sunlight, we shall hereafter behold the eternal Judge upon his 
throne, the countless multitudes before him, the division between his creatures 
deep and irreversible, the disciplined activities of his angels, the issues on this 
side and on that, as all gradually settles down into the last unchangeable award. 
Liddon : In Butlers Bible Work, New Test., vol. ii, p. 494. 

ERRORS CONCERNING THE COMING AGAIN OF THE LORD 
CORRECTED. 

§ 406. The Time of the Parousia. [Paul] does not declare their error to 
consist in the fact that they were expecting the Parousia in the near future, 
whereas that event was to be looked for only in the remote futtire ; he does not 
say to them, that they need not be troubled with reference to the dying of these 
friends so early, for death had come to them only a little earlier than it would 
come to themselves; and that they had fallen into a mistake as to the whole 
matter. On the other hand, he says, in substance, They had not lost the future 
blessedness by dying before the Lord comes. When He comes, they will rise, 
and we who survive, (you who are grieving for them, and T), shall be caught up 
to meet them. As he says to the Corinthians five years later, The dead will be 
raised, and we shall be changed. . . . 

The following facts are to be remarked in connection with the passages in 
Paul's writings which bear upon this subject: — (1) None of them are in their 
expressions inconsistent with the expectation of the coming of the Lord at an 
early period. (2) Some of them, although not necessarily carrying with them 
this idea, gain a special force and emphasis, if they are interpreted as involving it. 
Others indicate, by the peculiar language employed, such an expectation, if the 
language is to be interpreted naturally and strictly. (3) If, however, the Apostle 
had such an expectation, he did not have it in such a way as to involve necessarily 
a belief that none of his readers would die before the Parousia, or a feeling that 
it was absolutely certain that he should not himself die. . . . (4) We find state- 
ments in his writings which show that he thought that certain things were to take 
place before the end — the filling up of the times of the Gentiles, the conversion 
of the Jews, the manifestation of the man of sin. The date of the Parousia, 
accordingly, must have been, to his view, so far removed from the date of the 
writing of these Epistles as to allow time for the accomplishment of these things 
before it should arrive. (5) As the time of the end is expressly excluded by 
Christ from the subjects on which Divine revelation is made, the apostles may 
naturally not have been enlightened in regard to this matter, as they were with 
reference to other subjects. — Dwight : In Meyer's Commentary, Thessalonians, 
pp. 540, 541. 

§407. Daily Life of the Christian. Ver. 10 [2 Thes. 3: 10] seems to show 
that this tendency to give up this world's work was an attendant, in many cases, 
upon the entrance into the Christian life — the new thoughts, the spiritual 
atmosphere, the future, making the daily duties in earthly things seem unneces- 
sary. Warnings against tendencies to such errors in different lines are given in 



124 The Bible Study Manual. 

the N. T., and must have been found needful by the Apostolic preachers. . . . 
[The word used] implies a busying themselves with things belonging to the sphere 
of others, and neglecting those of their own sphere. . . . The fact that the 
exhortation and suggestion . . . are in each of the two Epistles so closely con- 
nected with the passage which relates to the Parousia ... is, not improbably, 
indicative of a connection between the mistaken notions, which members of the 
Thess. church had respecting the time of that great event, and their neglect of 
their earthly business. These mistaken notions may have been a cause of this 
neglect. — Dwight : In Meyer's Commentary, Thessalonians, p. 633. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 408. A Genuine Christian Life may Coexist with Many Errors. Paul 

found some things among the Thessalonians to reprove and correct, yet he praised 
them for their genuine Christian faith and life. The recognition of such a life 
should give us great joy, even though it may be obscured by what we regard as 
errors in doctrine or faults in conduct. 

§ 409. The Fact and the Time of the Second Advent. The fact of the 
coming again of Christ is one of the conspicuous teachings of the Bible, involv- 
ing, as it does, the fulfillment of prophecy and the consummation of all things. 
The time is known to God alone. It can not be figured out from the obscure and 
ambiguous language of prophecy. All such efforts end in shame and confusion. 

§ 410. The Proper Attitude of Every Christian toward the Fact of the 
Coming Again of Christ. Faith in the certainty of this event; watchfulness 
lest his coming find us asleep; sobriety and fidelity in the discharge of appointed 
tasks that it may not overtake us unprepared. Neither in fanatical impatience 
antedating that blessed epiphany, nor in unbelief postdating it; for it is as 
wrong to proclaim that he will come this year or this decade, as it is to say that he 
will not come for a thousand years. 

§411. The Practical Effect of the Doctrine. Not to encourage idleness 
and disorder, but to stimulate to more earnest activity; lest if the time should be 
short, his coming suddenly " whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, 
or in the morning," may not find us sleeping or rioting, but diligently accomplish- 
ing every task that our absent Lord has entrusted to our care. 

§412. Comfort Concerning those Asleep in Christ. Death is not annihi- 
lation, but a passing sleep, a transition from a circumscribed life in the body to an 
unrestricted life in the spirit, a putting on of immortality, a being forever with the 
Lord. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. On the Time and Place of Writing i and 2 Thessalonians: Smith's 
Diet. Bib., Art., " Thessalonians," pp. 3222^-323012; also Introductions to the Epistles 
in Commentaries on the same. 2. The Genuineness of i and 2 Thessalonians. 
Ibid. 3. Some Historical Difficulties in 2 Thessalonians: Ency. Bnt, vol. 
xxiii, Art., " Thessalonians, Epistles to the," p. 297. 4. Death as a Sleep: Lavgc, 
Commentary, Thessalonians, p. 75. 5. Possible Reasons for the Delay of the 
Final Coming of Christ: Ibid., pp. 78, 79. 6. Apocalyptic Teachings in 2 
Thessalonians: Meyer, Commentary, Thessalonians, pp. 605-622. 7. The Man 
of Sin: Denney, Epistles to the Thessalonians, pp. 305-319; Eadie, Commentary, 
Thessalonians, pp. 329-370. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 22. 125 

Lesson 22. -THE CONFLICT CONOEBNING THE G-ENTILES AND 

THE JEWISH LAW IN GALATIA. Paul's Defense of 

Christian Liberty. 

EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§413. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul met the efforts of the 
Judaizing teachers to bring the Gentile converts in Galatia under the yoke of the 
Jewish law; and how, against their false teachings, he established the great prin- 
ciple of Christian freedom from the law, and of salvation by faith in Christ. 

§414. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the lesson 
read attentively Note 36, and Remark 9 in Appendix (Progressive grade), or the 
Lesson Talk (Intermediate grade). Then read § 417 in the Manual so as to get 
a clear conception of the date of the epistle, noting that according to the view 
presented in these lessons as to the location of the Galatian churches, this must 
have been one of the first, if not the very first of Paul's epistles. If commen- 
taries are consulted, note also that all those which present the old view of the 
location of the Galatian churches, must put the date of this epistle some years 
later, that is, during the third, instead of the second, missionary journey. 

(2) Read carefully, also, what is said in §415 about the authorship, object, and 
critical value of the epistle, not so much for the purpose of discussing these sub- 
jects in the class, as for the purpose of getting some conception of the extraordi- 
nary value of this epistle, and the impregnable position it occupies against assaults 
on the Scriptural history of the apostolic age. 

(3) Show that the attack of the Judaizers was of a twofold nature, on Paul's 
authority as an apostle, and on his teaching that the gospel had set aside the law 
as a condition of salvation. 

(4) Note that he met the former attack in the first and second chapters, 
wherein he declared that his appointment as an apostle was received directly from 
Christ himself, and that this made him independent of the original apostles, who 
had fully recognized his apostolic authority, and his divine mission to the Gentiles. 
He was logically forced to establish this point before he could proceed to the 
next. 

(5) Having proved himself a true apostle, he next proves the authoritativeness 
of his teachings. Notice that he now enters on the main theme of the epistle. 
Explain the argument by which he proves that faith preceded the law, that the 
law could save no one but only brought a curse upon those who trusted in it, and 
how Christ has freed us from this curse, and brought us into spiritual liberty. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§415. The Epistle to the Galatians. (1) Authorship. — Of all the 
Epistles which bear the characteristic marks of St. Paul's style, this one stands the 



126 The Bible Study Manual. 

foremost. ... Its authorship has never been doubted. But that authorship is also 
upheld by external testimony. Irenaeus quotes the Epistle by name. . . . There 
are many . . . distinct allusions [to it] in the works of Ignatius, Polycarp, and 
Justin. . . . 

(2) Object. — The object ... of the Epistle was (1) to defend his own apos- 
tolic authority; and (2) to expose the judaistic error by which they [the Gala- 
tians] were being deceived. Accordingly, it contains two parts, the apologetic and 
the polemic. These are naturally followed by a hortatory conclusion. — Alfoi-d ; 
Greek Testament, vol. iii, Prolegomena, pp. I, 3. 

§ 416. Critical Value of the Epistle. Antiquity has nothing to show more 
notable in its kind, or more precious, then this letter of Paul to the Churches of 
Galatia. It takes us back, in some respects nearer than any other document we 
possess, to the beginnings of Christian theology and the Christian Church. In it 
the spiritual consciousness of Christianity first reveals itself in its distinctive char- 
acter and its full strength, free from the trammels of the past, realizing the advent 
of the new kingdom of God that was founded in the death of Christ. . . . 
Buried for a thousand years under the weight of the Catholic legalism, the teach- 
ing of this Epistle came to life again in the rise of Protestantism. Martin Luther 
put it to his lips as a trumpet to blow the reveille of the Reformation. . . . The 
Epistle to the Galatians is the charter of Evangelical faith. 

The historical criticism of the present century has brought this writing once 
more to the front of the conflict of faith. ... Its interpretation forms the pivot 
of the most thoroughgoing recent discussions touching the beginnings of Christian 
history and the authenticity of the New Testament record. The Galatian Epistle 
is, in fact, the key of New Testament Apologetics. Round it the Roman and 
Corinthian Letters' group themselves, forming together a solid, impregnable 
quaternion, and supplying a fixed startingpoint and an indubitable test for the 
examination of the critical questions belonging to the Apostolic age. 

Whatever else may be disputed, it is agreed that there was an apostle Paul, who 
wrote these four Epistles to certain Christian societies gathered out of heathenism, 
communities numerous, widely scattered, and containing men of advanced intelli- 
gence; and this within thirty years of the death of Jesus Christ. Every critic 
must reckon with this fact. The most sceptical criticism makes a respectful pause 
before our Epistle. Hopeless of destroying its testimony, Rationalism treats it 
with an exaggerated deference; and seeks to extract evidence from it against its 
companion witnesses amongst the New Testament writings. This attempt, how- 
ever misdirected, is a signal tribute to the importance of the document, and to the 
force with which the personality of the writer and the conditions of the time have 
stamped themselves upon it. — Findlay : Galatians, pp. 3-5. 

§ 41 7. Date of the Epistle. The date of the Epistle remains to be considered. 
It is well known that Lightfoot determined this almost exclusively by consideration 
of its style and character. He presented in striking character its close resem- 
blance to the second Epistle to the Corinthians and to the Epistle to the Romans, 
especially to the latter, and argued from it confidently that it was written between 
these two in the autumn of 57. . . . The force of such a presumption depends 
largely on circumstances; a man may well repeat the same thoughts and the same 
expressions at considerable intervals, if the intervening tenor of his life and envi- 
ronment continue constant. And the tenor of St. Paul's life after his conversion 
had been in one respect singularly uniform. He was engaged for many years in 
a prolonged controversy with Judaism, wherever he went. The doctrines of faith 
and works, of law and grace, which fill so large a space in the two Epistles to the 
Galatians and Romans, had been stamped on his mind once for all by a sudden 



Library Extracts on Lesson 22. 127 

revulsion against his rigid Pharisaic training; they are asserted in his first recorded 
address (Acts 13 : 3S, 39) in the same language as in these epistles. . . . 

But the known facts of 57 supply a further objection to that particular date. 
Early in that year St. Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia and Achaia, instruct- 
ing them to institute weekly collections for the church of Jerusalem. These 
letters were the sequel of a previous correspondence, and Achaia had responded 
the year before (2 Cor. 9 : 2), while Galatia had anticipated its sister churches 
(1 Cor. 16: 1). The collections at Corinth were not completed in the autumn of 
57, and the fund was not presented at Jerusalem tid Pentecost, 58. In the mean- 
time, every epistle and every speech of St. Paul testifies his deep interest in the 
fund. Yet the Epistle to the Galatians attributed the desire to remember the poor 
in Judaea to the Jerusalem apostles; it mentions St. Paul's ready acquiescence 
only in the abstract (Gal. 2: 10), and admonishes them in general terms to do 
good to the household of faith (Gal. 6: 10), but makes no allusion whatever to 
the fund in progress, either by way of commendation or of dispraise. This 
silence is to me inexplicable on the hypothesis that it was written after the letters 
of 56-57. It belongs surely to an earlier time, when the thought of such a fund 
was working silently in the mind of the writer, and had not yet borne fruit in 
action. 

I find further in the Epistle three distinct notes of time: (1) It was written 
after the Jerusalem conference and the subsequent collision at Antioch, and 
apparently soon after, if wc may judge from the vividness of the narrative; (2) 
it was written after a second visit to Galatia, for in Gal. 4:13 the evangelisation of 
Galatia is described as the former occasion, implying one later visit; (3) it was 
probably written not long after this second visit; for in Gal. 1 : 4 the apostle 
describes the present revolt against his doctrine and apostolic authority as a rapid 
change, contrasting it apparently with the loyalty which he had hitherto found 
amongst his converts. 

Now the date of the second visit to the Galatian churches depends entirely on 
the view adopted as to their locality. For St. Paul paid his second visit to Derbe, 
Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch during the summer of 51, crossing Taurus after 
May, and sailing from Troas before the winter season; whereas he certainly did 
not found churches in north Galatia before that year, if at all, nor pay his second 
visit till three years later. The alternative presented therefore for our choice is of 
an epistle written to the converts in south Galatia in 51-2, or to those in north 
Galatia in 54-5. The verdict of history appears to me decisive in favour of the 
earlier date. — Rendell: In The Expositor, April, 1894, pp. 260-^62. 

PAUL'S INDIGNANT REBUKE OF THE GALATIAN APOSTASY. 

§418. Paul's Vindication of his Apostleship. In his letters to the Thes- 
salonians St. Paul gives himself no title; here, on the other hand, he not only 
calls himself an apostle, but takes pains to indicate that for his apostolic standing 
he is indebted neither primarily nor subordinately to any man or body of men, 
but to God alone. . . . There are those who assail his independence, and desire 
to make out that he is either no apostle at all, or one subordinate to the eleven, 
and therefore bound to conform in opinion and action to their authority; and all 
this in order to undermine his influence as a teacher of views which the assail- 
ants regard with aversion. Fully aware how closely belief in his authority as a 
teacher is connected with continued adherence to his doctrine, the apostle 
commences with this topic, and sets himself in a thorough, earnest way to de- 
monstrate the originality of his gospel, and his entire freadom as the apostle 
of the Gentiles from all dependence on the other apostles. — Bruce ; St, Paul, 
PP- 55> 56. 



128 The Bible Study Manual. 

§419. Paul's Defense of his Gospel. Their Jewish teachers said that Paul 
was shifty and complaisant, and that he did not preach the real Gospel. He tells 
them that it is they who are perverters of the Gospel, and that if they, or any one 
of them, or any one else, even an angel, preaches contrary to what he preached, 
let the ban — the cherem — fall on him. He said this before, and to show them 
that it is not a mere angry phrase, he repeats it more emphatically now, and 
appeals to it as a triumphant proof that whatever they could charge him with 
having done and said before, now, at any rate, his language should be unmistakably 
plain. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 433, 434. 

PAUL'S DEFENSE OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY. 

§ 420. Paul's Reproof of the Galatians. In the concluding verses of the 
preceding chapter the Apostle has ..not been directly addressing the Galatians. He 
has rather been following up his rebuke to Peter by an argument — a soliloquy — 
ending in a reductio ad absurdum. A doctrine which practically makes the 
death of Christ superfluous is impious and revolting. ' And is this the doctrine 
which you were lightly disposed to accept? O foolish Galatians, to what spell of 
sorcery have you succumbed? Christ Crucified was lifted up before you as the 
object of faith. Instead of looking away from all else to Jesus Christ alone, you 
allowed your eyes to wander to the Law and your own works, and so yielded to 
the deadly fascination of these Judaizing teachers.' . . . The change so sudden 
and senseless, seems like the effect supposed to be produced by magical arts . . . 
■ — the spell which was supposed to be cast over persons, especially children, by 
the influence of the evil eye. — Perowne : In Cambridge Bible, Galatians, p. 27. 

§421. The Excellence of Faith. The Apostle makes a personal appeal to 
their own experience. . . . He confines himself to one question, which they alone 
could answer, the answer to which is decisive. ' Was it from (as the fruit of) the 
works of the Law that ye received the Spirit, or from the preaching of faith'? 
. . . The Law never bringeth the Holy Ghost, but only teacheth what we ought 
to do : therefore it justilieth not. But the Gospel bringeth the Holy Ghost, 
because it teacheth what we ought to receive. . . . Therefore the Law and the 
Gospel are two contrary doctrines. To put righteousness therefore in the Law, is 
nothing else but to fight against the Gospel. — Perowne : In Cambridge Bible, 
Galatians, pp. 2&, 29. 

§ 422. The Function of the Law. The argument of the apostle is : The 
law, far from beLig a means whereby the Spirit and Plis gracious comfort are 
received, is, on the contrary, simply one whereby the abyss of sin within man 
becomes manifest in outward acts. Man's state is sin. The law becomes the 
occasion for the expression of this state in transgression. So the law is both the 
revealer of sin {original) and the occasion for sin {actual). Its influence is to 
bring the deep-seated corruption to the surface, and evoke the symptoms that show 
its real nature. . . . This is hinted at even by the remark of Meyer : " Previously 
there were sins, but no transgressions." — Jacobs : In Meyer's Commentary, 
Galatians, p. 160. 

§ 423. Relation of the Law and the Promise. Without doubt, the saying 
of the new teachers which had clone most to shake the Galatians' faith was that 
ancient, ever powerful phrase : " We are the children of Abraham." Salvation 
belongs to the elect race alone. Now, God has given in circumcision a sign by 
which the children of Abraham are to be known. Those who are without it do 
not belong to the people of God, and can have no share in their privileges. This 
is the reasoning that the apostle had to overthrow. For this theocratic and narrow 
Messianism, Paul will substitute the great universal scheme, the spiritual history 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 22. 1 29 

of the kingdom of God and its revelation upon earth. To the carnal descent 
from Abraham, he will oppose the spiritual and only true filiation — that of faith. 
lie will appeal, in his turn, to the promise made to the father of the faithful; ho 
will show in what manner salvation is connected with it, and how the law is related 
to it. lie will thus reconstruct the genuine tradition of Israel; and it will be 
seen whether lie or his enemies are its true representatives. 

We can now understand why the faith of Abraham plays such an important 
part in Pauline theology. It was nut arbitrarily that the apostle chose this example, 
rather than another. The promise made to the patriarch was the common basis of 
argument, both for Paul and the Judaizers; and upon this promise and its accom- 
panying conditions a keen debate was sure to arise, for this was the crucial ques- 
tion. The whole discussion turns upon this first point. If the Law qualifies 
and limits the Promise, it is plain that it will continue to be the eternal condition 
of salvation. — Sabatier : Apostle Paul, pp. 145, 146. 

§ 424. Christian Liberty Asserted. Liberty came with Jesus Christ. . . . 
[Paul] has hinted already at the truth that, with Christ the era of liberty or true 
sonship began, but he is able now to make a more adequate statement of the fact, 
in connection with the figure of the heir in a state of pupilage, which gives it an 
effective setting, and brings out the epoch-niaking significance of the advent of 
Jesus in the general religious history of the tuorld. In terms of that figure he 
represents the advent as marking the point at which mankind, the son of God, 
arrived at its majority. Then commenced the era of grace, of liberty, of sonship, 
of the new humanity in which is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor 
female, but all one in Christ. . . . The subject of redemption being under the 
law, the Redeemer also came under law, that by this act of grace He might put 
an end to the state of legal bondage. . . . The objective ideal significance of 
Christ's coming being that it inaugurated the new era of filial freedom — prison 
doors opened, children grown to manhood, the heir no longer a minor, it is easy 
to see what duty is incumbent on the Christian. It is to understand the nature of 
the new era in which he lives, to enter sympathetically into its spirit, and subjec- 
tively to realize its lofty ideal. Obligation lies on him to be free indeed, as a son 
of God arrived at his majority. — Bruce : St. Paul, pp. 65-67. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§425. Severity Sometimes the Greatest Kindness. An amputation may 
at times be necessary in order to save life. A truly kind surgeon will not refuse 
to perform it because it hurts. Paul's language respecting the Judaizers, as well as 
Christ's language concerning the Pharisees was real kindness to all concerned, for 
it revealed the greatness of the peril involved in the errors that were exposed and 
condemned. 

§426. Faith and Works. Paul seems at first sight to be in direct conflict 
with James touching the value and efficacy of faith and works. But a closer 
examination shows that each attaches a different meaning to these words. By 
" faith " Paul means that living principle which binds the believer to Christ, but 
James means a mere intellectual assent to truth; by " works " Paul means efforts 
to keep the law as a condition of salvation, but James means those Christian 
graces and activities which naturally proceed from a living faith in Christ. Both 
Paul and James were right. No man can be saved by a mere intellectual faith, or 
by mere obedience to law. Every man can be saved by an inward faith in Christ 
which shows itself in loving obedience to him. 

§427. How the Death of Christ Affects our Relation to the Law. 
By the death of Christ believers are forever freed from the whele law, ceremonial 



130 The Bible Study Manual, 

and moral, as a condition of salvation; but the moral law still remains binding as 
a rule of life. The liberty of the gospel is not license to indulge in evil, but, on 
the contrary, it deepens and intensifies the demands of the moral law (Mt. 5:17- 
22, 27, 28). 

§ 428. The Adoptions of Sons. The law at the most can only bring those 
who obey it into the condition of bondservants or slaves, for obedience in that case 
does not spring from inward love of the law but from external authority. Faith, 
however, brings those who exercise it into a new and personal relation to God 
whereby they are received as his children, he becomes their loving Father, and 
obedience to his will springs from the natural instinct of love and not from 
outward constraint. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Paul's Apostolic Commission as Argued in the Epistle to the Gala- 
TIANS : Sabatier, Apostle Paul, pp. 142-145. 2. THE ARGUMENT IN PAUL'S EPISTLE 
to the Galatians : Ibid., pp. 145-152. 3. Practical Conclusions from the 
Argument in the Epistle to the Galatians: Ibid., pp. 152-155. 4. The 
Design of the Law: Findlay, Epistle to the Galatians, ch. 14. 5. The Story of 
Hagar: Ibid., ch. 19. 6. The Jewish and the Christian Covenants Com- 
pared : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 439, 440. 7. WARNING AGAINST THE 
Abuse of Liberty : Bruce, St. Paul's Conception of Christianity, p. 69 ; Cowles, The 
Shorter Epistles, p. 52. 8. Paul's Relation to Peter, James, and John: 
Lightfoot, St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, pp. 129-212. 



Lesson 23.- PAUL'S MINISTRY IN EPHESUS. The First Part of 
the Third Missionary Journey. - 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 429. Design of the Lesson. To show how at the beginning of the third 
missionary journey Paul visited the churches in Galatia, and how under his subse- 
quent long ministry in Ephesus not only an important church grew up in that 
great stronghold of heathen worship, but. how the whole of proconsular Asia was 
leavened by the gospel. 

§430. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the lesson 
note what is said in § 431 (2) about Paul's line of travel from Antioch in Syria to 
Ephesus, and the corroboration which it gives to the view that the Galatian 
churches were those of Derbe, Lystra, etc. 

(2) Call attention to the situation, magnitude, importance, wealth, luxury and 
fame of the city of Ephesus; to the throngs of magicians, and impostors of all 
sorts who there traded on the credulity and superstition of the people; but es- 
pecially to the magnificent temple of Diana, which with its enormous wealth and 
pompous rituals was the center of a worship that made Ephesus one of the worst 
hotbeds of immorality and vice in the ancient world. 

(3) Connect these facts with Paul's three years' ministry in Ephesus; show 
his wisdom in choosing as his field of work such a magnificent center of influence, 
and his confidence in the power of the gospel to purify elements so corrupt. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2J. 131 

(4) Notice that the incident of the rebaptism of John's disciples, however inter- 
esting in itself and suggestive of historical questions, is not vitally connected with 
the apostle's work in Ephesus, and may be passed with a brief statement. 

(5) Mark how the power of Paul's ministry penetrated not only the city, as 
evidenced in the burning of the books devoted to the magical arts; but also the 
whole province of Asia, as seen in the riotous demonstration of the silversmiths 
whose lucrative tra.'e was imperiled by his preaching. 

(6) Note that within these three years not only was a strong church established 
in Ephesus itself, but that other churches were planted in the surrounding country, 
probably by Paul's converts, as at Colosse, Laodicea, and Hieropolis (Col. 4: 13). 
It is possible that the other churches around Ephesus addressed in Rev., chs. 2, 3, 
may also date from this period. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PAUL'S EAST VISIT TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES. 

§431. Paul's Third Missionary Journey. (1) Objective Point. — In St. 
Paul's third journey it seems clear that his original object was the province of 
Asia, and the visit to the churches of the Galatian country was a mere episode by 
the way. The aim which he had when he started on the second journey, and 
which he was forbidden by the Spirit when he reached Antioch to carry into 
effect, was realized in his third journey. . . . 

(2) Line of Travel. — He came from Antioch of Syria through the Syrian and 
Cilician Gates; but the line of his route is not indicated until he reached districts 
which he hail previously visited and where he had converts. He traversed this 
country ["the region of Galatia and Phrygia" (Acts 18: 23) ], systematically visit- 
ing every place where there were disciples . . . [and then], " having passed through 
the upper country, came to Ephesus," — i.e., he traversed the country from 
Cilicia to Ephesus, crossing the great central plateau, and descending to the sea 
again. He had a choice of two routes, one direct, passing through the churches 
which he visited on his first and second journeys, Derbe, Lystra, etc., and the 
other making an enormous circuit through Cappadocia and North Galatia, and 
omitting all the churches which are known to us by name. . . . 

Why should the narrator, who in other cases describes St. Paul's route with 
accuracy, leave it entirely doubtful whether he took the northern or southern 
route? The reason is that the northern route never occurred to him as a possi- 
bility. The route from Syria by the Cilician Gates to the .Egean coast was 
a familiar and much frequented one; and unless another route was expressly 
mentioned, every one would understand that Paul passed through Lycaonia, and 
not through North Galatia. — Ramsay : Church in Roman Empire, pp. 90-92. 

APOLLOS AT EPHESUS AND AT CORINTH. 

§ 432. The City of Ephesus. Ephesus was the greatest city of Asia 
Minor, and the metropolis of a province said to embrace no less than five hun- 
dred cities. It was situated on the Cavster, and built on the two mountains Prion 
and Coressus, and partly on the valley between them. It had a commodious 
harbor, and lay on the main road of traffic between the east and the west, a 
position favorable alike to inland and maritime commerce. It was a free city of 
the Roman Empire, and self-governed. It was full of elegant buildings; and its 
markets were supplied with the choicest products of all lands, and adorned with 



132 The Bible Study Manual. 

works of art of every kind. ... Its theatre was one of the largest ever erected, 
said to be capable of holding 30,000 persons. The city was the resort of all 
nations, and its population was numerous and multifarious .... 

Ephesus was specially famous for two things — the worship of Diana and the 
practice of magic — and it was the headquarters of many defunct superstitions 
which owed their continuance to various orders of priests. The general character 
of the inhabitants was in very bad repute. . . . Nothing now remains of the mag- 
nificent metropolis of Asia but a miserable Turkish village. The once thronged 
harbor is now a malarious marsh. The ruins alone are grand. The vast theatre, 
may still be traced, but of the proud temple not one stone remains above another. 
— Ormiston : In Meyer's Commentary, Acts, p. 378. See also Ency. Brit., vol. 
viii, Art., " Ephesus." 

§ 433. Temple of Diana at Ephesus. One building at Ephesus surpassed 
all the rest in magnificence and in fame. This was the Temple of Artemis or 
Diana, which glittered in brilliant beauty at the head of the harbour, and was 
reckoned by the ancients as one of the wonders of the world. . . . Leaving out of 
consideration the earliest temple, . '. . we find the great edifice, which was anterior 
to the Macedonian period, . . . slowly continued even through the Pelopon- 
nesian war. . . . But the building . . . was not destined to remain long in the 
beauty of its perfection. The fanatic Herostratus set fire to it on the same night 
in which Alexander was born. . . . The temple was rebuilt with new and more 
sumptuous magnificence. . . . The Ephesians never ceased to embellish the shrine 
of their goddess, continually adding new decorations and subsidiary buildings, 
with statues and pictures by the most famous artists. . . . 

It was plundered and laid waste by the Goths, who came from beyond the 
Danube in the reign of Gallienus. ... Its remains are to be sought for in the 
mediaeval buildings, in the columns of green jasper which support the dome of St. 
Sophia, or even in the naves of Italian cathedrals. . . . The Temple. . . was 425 
feet in length and 220 in breadth, and the columns were 60 feet high. The 
number of columns was 127, each of them the gift of a king; and 36 of them were 
enriched with ornament and colour. . . . The value and fame of the Temple were 
enhanced by its being the treasury, in which a large portion of the wealth of West- 
ern Asia was stored up. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 73-76. 

On Mr. J. T. Wood's explorations at Ephesus, and a full description of the temple, see Matte- 
son: Acts and Epistles, pp. 386-390. 

§ 434. The Statue of Diana. But, strangely enough, all this peerless beauty 
and gorgeous magnificence served but to enshrine a figure inelegant, nay, gro- 
tesque in the extreme. The traditional figure of the goddess was 
nothing more or less than an ugly wooden idol, not unlike in its 
character to those now worshipped in India. Coins and medals 
represent her as a tall figure, with a fine open countenance, with 
three rows of pendulous breasts before her, from which to the feet 
she is tightly encased in a kind of embossed and figured sheath, 
having the appearance of half a mummy case. She is crowned with 
a modius or corn measure; her arms and body are twined with 
flowers and fruits; figures of bulls and gryphons are creeping up 
her arms. 

Did the imaginative Greeks mean to represent by this monstrous 
figure the prolific powers of nature? and was it not a survival of the 
ancient pantheism and nature worship? . . . The "great goddess 
Diana of the Ephesians," however, was not the chaste Diana of 
Rome, nor the maiden Artemis of the Western Greeks, but the very 




Library Extracts on Lesson 2J. 133 

opposite, being an Eastern myth of genesis, a divinity of infinite fecundity, 
nourishing multitudinous forms of life, and is perhaps more to be identified 
with Astarte and other female divinities of the East. It is hardly possible for 
us to conceive the degradation of the worships of those mixed Greeks and 
Asiatic races. — Malleson: Acts and Epistles, pp. 391, 392. 

§ 435. Apollos of Alexandria ; his Work. Faul certainly reached Ephesus 
in the year 54, but in the mean time a new apostle had appeared on the scene. 
Apollos had come from Alexandria to Ephesus. It is said that he was a learned 
man and mighty in the Scriptures, which means that he was trained in the 
allegorical method of interpretation and was very skillful in it. . . . Now we 
learn that Apollos was engaged in preaching the gospel of Jesus. " He had 
been instructed in the way of the Lord," and he spoke and taught carefully and 
with great zeal the things concerning Jesus. . . . That can only mean that he was 
a Christian, and that like Paul he was a traveling missionary. But the strange 
thing is that he knew nothing about a form of Christian baptism. He practiced 
baptism to be sure, but it was the baptism of John, that is, a baptism as the 
symbol of repentance, and not in the name of Tesus. . . . 

Apollos was further instructed by Aquila and Priscilla, and, as he desired to pass 
over to Europe, took letters of introduction to the Christians at Corinth. It would 
seem that after Paul's departure from Corinth the Jews had been having the best 
of it in the many disputations which they had with the Christians. For inter- 
course was not wholly broken off between the Christians and the Jews, but they 
undoubtedly continued their discussions and arguments. But they were no 
match for Apollos, who was trained in the Alexandrian school of logic, philosophy, 
and exegesis, and knew the Scriptures thoroughly and was master of all the arts 
which are so necessary to the debater. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 192— 
149- 

DISCIPLES OF JOHN KEBAPTIZED BY PAUL. 

§436. Paul and the Disciples of John. Among others Paul here met with 
twelve disciples of John the Baptist. . . .There were those of his disciples who, 
following his directions, attained to a living faith in the Redeemer, and some of 
whom became apostles; others only attained a defective knowledge of the person 
and doctrine of Christ; others again, not imbibing the spirit of their master, held 
fast their former preju lices, and assumed a hostile attitude towards Christianity; 
probably the first germ of such an opposition appeared at this time and from it was 
formed the sect of the disciples of John, which continued to exist in a later 
age. 

Those disciples of John whom Paul met at Ephesus, belonged to the second of 
these classes. . . . They had accepted the little they had heard of the person and 
doctrine of Jesus as the Messiah, to whom John pointed his followers, and con- 
sidered themselves justified in professing to be Christians like others. Paul 
believed that he should find them such; but, on further conversation with them, 
it appeared that they understood nothing of the power of the glorified Saviour, and 
of the communication of divine life through him, — that they knew nothing of a 
Holy Spirit. Paul then imparted to them more accurate instruction on the rela- 
tion between the ministry of John and that of Christ, between the baptism of John 
and the baptism which would initiate them into communion with Christ, and into 
a participation of the divine life that proceeded from him. After that, he baptized 
them in the name of Christ, with the usual consecration by the sign of the laying- 
on of hands and the accompanying prayer; and their reception into Christian 
fellowship was sealed by the usual manifestations of Christian inspiration. — 
Xeandcr : Planting and Training, pp. 209-21 1. 



134 The Bible Study Manual. 

TWO YEARS OF GREAT SUCCESS IN EPHESUS. 

§ 437. Success and Persecution in Ephesus. In Ephesus Paul again 
began with the Jews. Although there were Christians already there, yet they 
had not separated from the Jews, but were still attending the synagogue; they 
seem not to have had a separate place of worship. Paul continued this for three 
months, laboring to persuade the Jews of the Messiahshipof Jesus, .but at last the 
opposition was so great, and violent that he had to withdraw from them. The 
school of Tyrannus was probably a building much like our " town halls," which was 
for rent and was used by the traveling philosophers, rhetoricians, teachers, and all 
such who wished to meet the public. Paul now rented this hall and made it the 
regular place of meeting for the Christians and the centre of his missionary 
work. 

Here for three years * he continued to teach and preach the gospel, extending 
his influence through his disciples and helpers until, as it is said, " All them that 
dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." In these few 
years he laid the foundation of the future greatness of the church in Asia Minor. 
All the west part of the country must have been evangelized. There were many 
cities there, and undoubtedly the beginning of their churches falls in this period. 
In the next century Asia Minor is the stronghold of Christianity; the heathen 
temples were deserted, the animals of sacrifice remained unsold, and it seemed 
that all the people were turned Christian. That such progress was possible was 
due to the labors of Paul and his companions, with Ephesus for their head- 
quarters. . . . 

These three years at Ephesus were the most difficult and distressing of all Paul's 
life. . . . His opponents were of three classes, the heathen, the Jews, and the 
Judaizers. We cannot follow them in all their machinations and violence, but 
. . . the many adversaries, the sentence of death that had been passed upon him, 
the trials with the plots of the Jews, the circumstances that required Aquila and 
Priscilla to risk their lives for him, and his fighting with wild beasts, — what more 
is required to show that these three years were full of dangers and trials that 
would have conquered many another heart, however brave. — Thatcher : Apos- 
tolic Church, pp. 194, 195, 199, 201. 

§438. Paul and the Jewish Magicians. [While in Ephesus Paul] wrought 
striking miracles, which were doubly necessary on account of the juggleries of 
pagan and Jewish magicians, for whom Ephesus was a great rendezvous. . . . 
There were at that time numbers of Jewish exorcists strolling about those parts, 
who pretended to be able to cast out devils by means of mysterious magical 
formulas and amulets, which they derived, as they boasted, from king Solomon. 
Some of the jugglers, the seven sons of one Sceva, . . . desired, like Simon Magus, 
to turn the semblance of Christianity to account for their selfish purposes, and 
fancied they were able, by simply calling on the name of Jesus, without sympathy 
with his Spirit, to produce the same effect as Paul. But the attempt failed. The 
demon, which they thus exorcised, knew the difference of spirits. The demoniac 
fell upon the impostors . . . and abused them so unmercifully, that they fled 
naked and wounded. This unexpected demonstration made such an impression, 
that many, who had formerly made use of the arts of magic, believed in Jesus; 
nay, even a number of the Goetae burned their books of magic, which were 
especially abundant in Ephesus, and the value of which amounted to . . . eight 
thousand dollars. — Schaff ; Apostolic Church, pp. 280, 281. 

*This three years (Acts 20: 31) refers in round numbers to the whole period of Paul's work in 
Ephesus. His work in the " school of Tyrannus " continued but " two years" (Acts 19: 10). 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 23. 135 

DEMETRIUS AND THE SILVERSMITHS. 

§ 439. Cause of the Riot : Speech of Demetrius. It was now about the 
month ... of Artemis, when the annual festival of the goddess was observed 
throughout Greece and Asia, and a vast concourse of people from all quarters 
would be brought together. The preaching of the Apostle had by this time pro- 
duced a great effect both in Ephesus and throughout proconsular Asia, and a 
great multitude had avowed themselves believers. Consequently the sellers of 
portable shrines of Diana found their trade sensibly diminished, and no small 
tumult arose about the Way. Prominent among the malcontents was a certain 
Demetrius, a master-manufacturer of those silver shrines, who found employment 
for a large body of workmen. These he now called together, and others similarly 
employed, and set forth the damage which their trade had sustained, and the 
danger lest the temple of the great goddess Diana, which not only Asia but all the 
civilized world held sacred, should fall into disrepute. His words found eager 
listeners, and an excited cry arose, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. — Maclear : 
New Testament History, pp. 468, 469. 

§ 440. The Town Clerk Dismisses the Assembly. The commotion . . . 
quickly spread, and the thousands of citizens and strangers, whom the games had 
attracted to Ephesus, made a general rush towards the theatre. Failing on their 
way in their attempt to seize St. Paul, they dragged thither two of his com- 
panions, Gaius and Aristarchus of Macedonia. ... At length the Jews, not 
unwilling to injure the Apostle's cause, and anxious to clear themselves, put 
forward one Alexander, who may possibly have been the coppersmith mentioned 
in 2 Tim. 4: 14, and being connected in trade with Demetrius might have been 
expected to have some influence with the people. . . . But he was soon recognised 
as a Jew, and one unanimous cry which lasted upwards of two hours arose from 
the tumultuous throng, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 

When this had partially subsided, another effort was made to calm the storm. 
The Town-clerk, . . . who was the lawful president of the assembly, stood for- 
ward and reminded his hearers that the city of Ephesus was beyond all question 
the devoted " warden " of the great goddess Diana and the image that came down 
from the sky. The statements of a few unknown foreigners could not contradict 
a fact so patent to all the world. ... If Demetrius and his friends had any just 
cause for complaint, it could be decided in the assize-courts, then open, or by an 
appeal to the proconsul, or, if necessary, in the regular assembly. . . . With 
these arguments the cautious man of authority tranquillized the assembly, and the 
crowd dispersed to their homes. — Maclear: New Testament History, pp. 469- 
471. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§441. Confirming the Disciples. Paul's practice of visiting as often as 
possible disciples already gained, in order that he might strengthen them in their 
faith, and encourage them in view of trials is an admirable example for all others 
who in any measure have the care of souls. The young converts, who in seasons 
of special interest are gathered into the church, need subsequent training as well 
as converting grace. 

§442. The Importance of Great Cities. These are usually centers of 
enormous evil, but they may become centers of enormous good as well. The 
very magnitude of the evil is the strongest appeal for the gospel which alone has 
the power to subdue it. Moreover when the gospel is planted at such a center it 
becomes like seed carried in all directions by the currents of social intercourse 
and the winds of commerce. 



136 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 443. Fidelity and Courage in the Face of Persecution and Death. 

Paul's terrible experiences in Ephesus, even to the extent of literally fighting for 
his life with wild beasts in the arena, as some interpret I Cor. 15 : 32, or of con- 
tending with equally bloodthirsty enemies, as others take it, did not shake his 
purpose to stay there until his work was done. The consciousness of being where 
God has put us gives us immovable courage (cf. Jer. 1 : 17-19); the assurance of 
eternal glory beyond present sufferings gives strength and patience to bear all 
that enemies can here inflict upon us. 

§444. Persecution the Price of Moral Success. That Paul's preaching 
aroused everywhere such malignant opposition was the best testimony to its 
effectiveness. The preacher who conciliates all classes and hurts the consciences 
of none may well tremble for the character of his work. 

§445. Selfishness in the Garb of Religious Zeal. The Ephesian silver- 
smiths cared less for the fame of Diana than for the diminished profits of their 
trade. Their zeal for the former waxed as the latter waned. Any disturbance of 
the existing order of things in the religious world in favor of progress is always 
decried as heresy or sacrilege when it happens that the existing order is bound up 
with profitable business interests. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Jewish Exorcists : Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Exorcists." 2. High 
Priests and Asiarchs: how- Elected: Lewin : Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 
vol. i, pp. 316-318. 3. The Month Artemis the Probable Time of the 
Riot: Ibid., vol. i, pp. 405-409. 4. Confirmatory Evidence of Recent Exca- 
vations : Thatcher, Apostolic Church, pp. 197, 198. 5. The Narrative in Acts 
19:23-41 Examined in the Light of Recently Discovered Inscriptions: 
Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire, pp. 112-147. 6. PAUL'S WORK OUTSIDE THE 
City of Ephesus : Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. ii, p. 350, note. 



Lesson 24. - TROUBLES IN THE CHURCH AT CORINTH. 
Paul's "Warnings and Advice. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 446. Design of the Lesson. To show how the Corinthian church, after 
Paul's departure and on the arrival of other teachers, broke up into a variety of 
factions; how other evils found their way into the church, and how Paul in 
writing to the church dealt with these evils and with certain other social questions 
that perplexed the Christians in Corinth. 

§447. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the 
lesson, get first of all a clear conception of the relative geographical positions of 
Ephesus where Paul was laboring, and of Corinth to which he wrote the epistle 
now under consideration; notice the commercial importance of both these cities, 
the constant and easy communication between them, and how natural it was that 
Paul should be kept informed of the condition of the church in Corinth either 
by report or by direct communications. 

(2) Call attention to the fact that since Paul's departure from Corinth a great 



Library Extracts on Lesson 24., 137 

variety of disturbances had arisen in the church; that the purity of its life had 
been corrupted by too close social intercourse with the surrounding heathen; that 
false conceptions of Christian liberty had resulted in gross and shameful abuses; 
that through the eagerness of many to display their gifts of utterance the public 
worship of the church had become filled with confusion, and that or the purpose 
of repressing these disturbances and of correcting these and other evils, Paul 
wrote the letter now known as I Corinthians. 

(3) Note especially how Paul deals with the factions in the church by showing 
that there is no substantial reason for them; since while there are many ministers, 
the work they all do is really one, — a temple built on Christ as the foundation, 
into which enters a diversity of material, and on which men may labor foolishly 
or wisely, — and that the quality of every man's work will by and by be sub- 
jected to a searching test. 

(4) Show how in a heathen community the question of eating meat offered to 
idols would naturally arise, and how easily sensitive consciences might be disturbed 
by it. In answering the question of the Corinthians concerning it, Paul, as usual, 
does not content himself with establishing a mere rule, but appeals to fundamental 
principles, which are as practically useful to us to-day as they were to those to 
whom he addressed them. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

§ 448. Genuineness of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. The gen- 
uineness of this Epistle is undoubted. The witnesses for it stretch back into the 
remotest antiquity; and among the earliest are Polycarp, Ignatius, Clemens 
Romanus, Irenseus, Athenagoras, and Clemens Alexandrinus. . . . The internal 
characteristics also allow no uncertainty on the subject. The boldest criticism of 
our day . . . has suffered it to go unchallenged, and puts these two Epistles 
[1 and 2 Cor.] beside those to the Romans and the Galatians as the genuine 
writings of St. Paul. . . . But aside from and beyond all these evidences is the 
style and tone of the Epistle itself. Its every line is instinct with the spirit of 
Paul. All the features of his great and unique character are too sharply impressed 
upon it to allow of any hesitation as to the authorship. — Kling : In Eange's 
Commentary, I Corinthians, pp. 13, 14; see also Beet : Commentary, Corinthians, 
pp. 2-5. 

§ 449. Place and Time of Writing. The place of writing it is pointed out 
in ch. 16: 8, to have been EPHESUS. A mistaken rendering of the words [in] 
verse 5, as if they signified ' for I am passing through Macedonia,' — led probably 
to the subscription in . . . our English Bibles. But the idea has never been 
seriously entertained. . . . 

At the time of writing, the Apostle intended to quit Ephesus after Pentecost of 
that year. And on connecting this with Acts [chs.] 19, 20 it appears that he 
really did leave Ephesus about Pentecost in the year 57. . . . It is almost certain 
then that the Epistle was written before Pentecost, A.D. 57 : and probable, that 
somewhat about Easter wis the exact time. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. ih 
Prolegomena, pp. 54, 55. 



138 The Bible Study Manual. 

§450. Occasion of the Epistle. The Occasion of the Epistle would seem 
to have been threefold, {a) Members of the household of Chloe had brought 
reports of the factions and other evils. . . . (ti) Independently of her household, 
St. Paul seems to have heard of the monstrous case of incest. . . . This is the 
chief occasion of the letter : for Timothy had already been sent to deal with the 
factions. From one or both of these sources Paul had also heard of litigation 
before heathen judges, disputes in public worship and even as to the Eucharist, 
and erroneous doctrines touching the Resurrection. Besides this (<r) the Corin- 
thians themselves had written to consult the Apostle. This letter seems to have 
been self-satisfied in tone, containing no confession of the existing scandals. — 
Plummer : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Corinthians, First Epistle to the," 
p. 652^. 

§451. Historical Value of the Epistle. The letter ... is addressed, not 
only to this metropolitan Church, but also to the Christian communities established 
in other places in the same province. ... By it we are introduced, as it were, 
behind the scenes of the Apostolic Church, and its minutest features are revealed 
to us under the light of daily life. We see the picture of a Christian congrega- 
tion as it met for worship in some upper chamber, such as the house of Aquila, 
or of Gams, could furnish. We see that these seasons of pure devotion were not 
unalloyed by human vanity and excitement; yet, on the other hand, we behold 
the heathen auditor pierced to the heart by the inspired eloquence of the Christian 
prophets, the secrets of his conscience laid bare to him, and himself constrained 
to fall down on his face and worship God; . . . we see the administration of the 
Holy Communion terminating the feast of love. 

Again we become familiar with the perplexities of domestic life, the corrupting 
proximity of heathen immorality, the lingering superstition, the rash speculation, 
the lawless perversion of Christian liberty; we witness the strife of theological 
factions, the party names, the sectarian animosities. We perceive the difficulty of 
the task imposed upon the Apostle, who must guard from so many perils, and 
guide through so many difficulties, his children in the faith, whom else he had 
begotten in vain; and we learn to appreciate more fully the magnitude of that 
laborious responsibility under which he describes himself as almost ready to sink, 
"the care of all the Churches." — Conybeare and Ilowson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 

3h 32. 

THE FACTIONS IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH. 

§452. Party Spirit in the Church at Corinth. The Church [at Corinth] 
. . . combined two distinct elements, Jews or proselytes and Gentiles, of whom 
the latter were the most numerous. The natural jealousy between these two 
bodies, repressed during the Apostle's presence, had burst out on his departure, 
and divided the Church into various parties. Some affected fidelity solely and 
exclusively to St. Paul himself; others, probably the Jewish section, to Peter and 
the brethren of the Lord; a third, fascinated by the eloquence and learning of the 
Alexandrian Apollos, had attached themselves to him, and probably "hung half- 
way between the extreme Jewish and the extreme Gentile party; " while a fourth 
abjured all devotion to any human teachers, and styled themselves the " Christ " 
party. — Maclear : New Testament History, p. 466. 

For article on ancient Corinth and her people, see § 377, Lesson 20. 

§ 453. Other Evils in the Corinthian Church. In addition to these evils 
the Gentile faction pushed their views of Christian freedom beyond all due 
bounds. The profligacy that disgraced the inhabitants of Corinth and made their 
name a byword was openly avowed and gloried in. To such a pitch, moreover, 
did they carry their disputes that lawsuits were brought into Roman and Greek 



Library Extracts on Lesson 24. 139 

courts of Justice, and instead of shrinking from the contaminating influence of 
sensuality at the sacrificial feasts, they freely frequented them even in the colon- 
nades of the temples : the women threw off the head-dress which the customs of 
Greece and of the East required; the most sclemn ordinance of the Church was 
profaned by disorderly and reckless festivity; the most showy "gifts" were 
desired to the disparagement of those which tended only to instruct and improve; 
mixed marriages were freely contracted; and the doctrine of the Resurrection 
was either denied or emptied of all meaning. — Maclear : New Testament 
History, pp. 466, 467. 

31 ANY MINISTERS, ONE WORK. 

§454. Christ the Head of the Church. Paul condemned in an equal 
degree all party feeling in the Corinthian Church. . . . He taught them that 
Christ was their sole Head, to whom they must all adhere; that human laborers 
were to be considered only as instruments, by whom God worked according to 
their peculiar adaptabilities, in order to promote in the hearts of their fellow-men 
that result which all things were appointed to serve. They ought to be far from 
venturing to boast that they had this or that man for a teacher; for such boasting, 
by which they owned themselves dependent on man, was rather a denial of their 
being Christians. . . . Those sublime expressions in 1 Cor. 3:21 show how the 
truest spiritual freedom and the highest elevation of soul are the offspring of Chris- 
tian humility. — Neander : Planting and Training, p. 243. 

§455. Christ the One Foundation. To those persons who could not find in 
his simple preaching the wisdom which they sought after, and preferred Apollos 
as a teacher more according to their Grecian taste, he said that it was wrong on 
their part to regret the absence of such wisdom in his preaching, for the fountain 
of all genuine wisdom, the wisdom of God, was not to be found in any scheme of 
philosophy, but only in the doctrine of the crucified Jesus, the Saviour of the 
world, which he had made the central point of his preaching; but this divine 
wisdom could only be found and understood by a disposition that was susceptible 
of what was divine. . . . The building on this or on another foundation consti- 
tuted the difference, in Paul's judgment, between the true and the false teachers 
of Christianity. — Neander : Planting and Training, pp. 243, 244. 

§456. Different Materials Used by Different Builders. When Corinth 
rose from its ruins, [it was destroyed by the Romans 146 B.C. and lay in ruins 
more than a century] it was no uncommon sight to see a miserable hovel reared 
against the marble wall of a temple or the splendid portico of some deserted 
palace rendered habitable by a patchwork of mud and straw. . . . And the pic- 
ture in Paul's mind's eye of the Corinthian Church vividly suggested what he had 
seen while walking among those heterogeneous buildings. He sees the Church 
rising with a strange mixture of design and material. The foundation, he knows, 
is the same; but on the solid marble is reared a crazy structure of second-hand 
and ill-adapted material, here a wall propped up with rotten planking, there a 
hole stopped with straw, on one side a richly decorated gateway, with gold and 
silver profusely wrought into its design, on the other side a clay partition or loose 
boarding. It grieves him to see the incongruous structure. He sees the teachers 
bringing, with great appearance of diligence, the merest rubbish, wood, hay, stub- 
ble, apparently unconscious of the incongruity of their material with the founda- 
tion they build upon. He sees them taken with every passing fancy — the lifeless 
stubble that has lost its living seed of truth, the mud of the common highway, 
the readiest thoughts that come to hand — and setting these in the temple wall. — 
Dods : 1 Corinthians, pp. 87, 88. 



140 The Bible Study Manual. 

§457. The Work Tested by Fire. The soundness of the material which 
has been built upon the foundation of Christ will, like all things else, be tested. 
"The day shall declare it; " that light of Christ's presence and dominance over 
all things, that light which shall penetrate all human things when our true life is 
entered on — -that shall declare it. . . . The Corinthians knew what a trial by fire 
meant. They knew how the flames had travelled over their own city, consuming 
all that fire could kindle on, and leaving of the slightly built houses nothing but a 
charred and useless timber here and there, while the massive marbles stood erect 
among the ruins; and the precious metals, even though molten, were prized by 
the conqueror. Against the fire no prayer, no appeal, prevailed. Its judgment 
and decisions were irreversible; wood, hay, stubble, disappeared : only what was 
solid and valuable remained. By such irreversible judgment are we and our work 
to be judged. We are to enter into a life in which the nature and character of 
the work we have done in this world shall bring upon it utter -destruction or a 
rewarding and growing utility. Fire simply burns up all that will burn and leaves 
what will not. . . . The work that has been well and wisely done will stand; 
foolish, vain, and selfish work will go. We are to pass through the fire. — Dods : 
I Corinthians, pp. 89, 90. 

§ 458. A Man 's Work Consumed, yet he himself Saved. Paul, with 
his unfailing discernment, accepts it as a very possible contingency that a Christian 
may do poor work. In that case, Paul says, the man will be saved as by fire; his 
work shall be burned, but himself be scatheless. He shall be in the position of 
a man whose house has been burnt; the man is saved, but his property, all that 
he has slowly gathered round him and valued as the fruit of his labour, is gone. 
He may have received no bodily injury, but he is so stripped that he scarcely 
knows himself, and the whole thought and toil of his life seem to have gone for 
nothing. So, says Paul, shall this and that man pass into the heavenly state, 
hearing behind him as he barely enters the crash of all he has been building up 
as it falls and leaves for the result of a laborious life a ghastly, charred ruin and 
a cloud of dust. To have been useless, to have advanced Christ's kingdom not 
at all, to have spent our life building up a pretentious erection which at last 
falls about our ears, to come to the end and find that not one solid brick in the 
whole fabric is of our laying, and that the world would have been quite as well 
without us — this must be humiliating indeed; but it is a humiliation which all 
selfish, worldly, and foolishly fussy Christians are preparing for themselves. — 
Dods: I Corinthians, pp. 90, 91 

CONCERNING THINGS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS. 

§459. Idol Sacrifices. The next question which had been put to Paul by 
the Corinthian Church, and to which he now replies, is " touching things offered 
unto idols," whether a Christian had liberty to eat such things or not. This ques- 
tion necessarily arose in a society partly heathen and partly Christian. Every 
meal was in a manner dedicated to the household gods by laying some portion of 
it on the family altar. Where one member of a heathen family had become a 
Christian, he would at once be confronted with the question, rising in his own 
conscience, whether by partaking of such food he might not be countenancing- 
idolatry. On the occasion of a birthday, or a marriage, or a safe return from sea, 
or any circumstance that seemed to call for celebration, it was customary to sacri- 
fice in some public temple. And after the legs of the victim, enclosed in fat, and 
the entrails had been burnt on the altar, the worshipper received the remainder, 
and invited his friends and guests to partake of it either in the temple itself, or in 
the surrounding grove, or at his own home. Here again a young convert might 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 24. 141 

very naturally ask himself whether he was justified in attending such a feast and 
actually sitting down to meat in the idol's presence. 

Nor was it only personal friendships and the harmony of family life that were 
threatened; but on public occasions and national celebrations the Christian was 
in a strait betwixt two; fearful, on the one hand, of branding himself as no good 
citizen by abstaining from participation in the feast, fearful, on the other hand, 
lest by compliance he should be found unfaithful to his new religion. And even 
though Ids own family was entirely Christian, the difficulty was not removed, for 
much of the meat offered in worship found its way into the common market, so 
that at every meal the Christian ran the risk of eating things sacrificed to idols. 
— Bods: I Corinthians, pp. 179, 180. 

§ 400. Eating Meat Offered to Idols a Cause of Corruption in the 
Corinthian Church. The main reason why Church-life at Corinth could not 
attain a healthy development manifestly lay in the fact that the young Gentile 
Christians neither could nor would give up close social intercourse with their 
unbelieving countrymen. Afterwards, as before, they received invitations from 
them to feasts, and did not even scruple to take part in the sacrificial feasts of the 
heathen, \yhere they were certain to meet with renewed temptation to wantonness 
and lust. . . . Owing to this close intercourse with their heathen fellow-country- 
men, the views of morality prevalent with the latter and the universal corruption 
of morals in which they were involved could not fail to exercise a contaminating 
influence on the Church. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. i, pp. 252, 253. 

§461. Eating such Meat Lawful, but not expedient. Paul says in 
answer: Of course you know that these idols are nothing; there is but one God, 
who has made, controls, and knows all things. You know that eating of itself 
has nothing to do with religion; you can neither please nor displease God thereby. 
It is perfectly proper to accept such an invitation, for you would eat of this flesh 
as coming from God's hand; you would eat it to his glory. But some one who 
does not have this knowledge may see you seated in a heathen temple taking part 
in one of these temple meals. He would regard this as a sin, and would be 
offended at it; or he might think that he might do the same thing, and so would 
take part in such a meal as if it were really a sacrifice to another god, and thus 
bring upon himself the guilt of idolatry. So that, although you have a right to 
take part in such meals, yet if you thereby wound the weak conscience of a 
brother, or lead him to fall into sin, you should deny yourselves of the privilege. 
If need be, you should abstain wholly from such meals. . . . 

[In chap. 10] Paul repeats what he has said in the eighth chapter : these things 
are lawful, each one has the abstract right to practice them, but there is a higher 
power that may forbid it. Each one is bound to build up, to strengthen, his 
fellow-Christians. He must do nothing which will cause another to stumble. 
Therefore if you are invited to a feast, and choose to accept, go and eat what is set 
before you without asking any questions. . . . But if some Christian brother with 
a weak conscience tells you that this flesh has been offered to idols, you must 
abstain from eating, lest you wound his conscience and lead him into sin. For in 
all things we must imitate Christ, who sought not his own pleasure, but came to 
serve. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, pp. 226, 227. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§462. One in Christ. Over against the wrangling of the numerous factions 
in the church at Corinth, comes the sweet voice of the head of the church, who 
in his prayer to the Father, said, " That they may all be one, even as we are one," 



142 The Bible Study Manual. 

The church universal and triumphant will bear but one standard — Jesus Christ, 
the Saviour of the world. 

§463. What the Church has Lost through Factions. "The church was 
intended to be the grand uniter of the race. Within its pale all kinds of men 
were to be gathered. Distinctions were to be obliterated; differences were to be 
forgotten; the deepest thoughts and interests of all men were to be recognised as 
common; there was to be neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek nor barbarian, bond 
nor free. But instead of uniting men otherwise alienated, the Church has alien- 
ated neighbours and friends; and men who will do business together, who will 
dine together, will not worship together. Thus the Church has lost a large part 
of her strength. Had the kingdom of Christ been visibly one, it would have been 
supreme and without a rival in the world." — Dods. 

§ 464. The Increase from God. As each member of the body is needful for 
the welfare of the whole, and as the whole is impotent without the life that 
animates it; so while all members in the church are useful, those who have the 
.smallest talents as well as those who have the largest, yet the whole church is 
dead and powerless for good unless God fills it with his life and works in it and 
through it for his own glory. 

§465. Building on the One Foundation. For a spiritual structure there 
is only one foundation — Christ Jesus. He that builds on this will be saved even 
though his poor superstructure is entirely swept away. He who builds on any 
other foundation, no matter how apparently solid and spacious his superstructure 
may be, will perish with all his work. 

§ 466. Things Lawful not always Expedient. Paul taught that eating 
meat offered to idols was lawful to those Christians in Corinth who saw no harm 
in it for themselves. But he also enjoined such persons not to eat it lest they lead 
others into sin. The same principle lies at the foundation of total abstinence 
from intoxicating liquors to-day. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Lost Epistles: Meyer, Commentary, Corinthians, p. 125. 2. Paul AND THE 
Church at Corinth : Beet, Commentary, Corinthians, pp. 17-20. 3. Condition 
of the Church at Corinth : Farrar, Life of St. Paul, ch. 32. 4. The Four 
Epistles in the Corinthian Church : Lange, Commentary, 1 Corinthians, pp. 
8, 9. 5. GOING TO Law BEFORE Unbelievers : Meyer, Commentary, Corinthians, 
pp. 145, 146. 6. Women Speaking in Public Assemblies Unveiled: Dods, 
1 Corinthians, pp. 243-257. 7. Equality OF Sex as Advocated by St. Paul: 
Alford, Greek Testament, vol. ii, p. 564. 8. ABUSE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER : Dods, 
1 'Corinthians, pp. 261-272. 9. SPIRITUAL GIFTS: Ibid., ch. 18. 10. SPEAKING 
WITH TONGUES : Schaff, History of the Apostolic Church, pp. 197-203. 11. THE 
Resurrection of Christ : Dods, 1 Corinthians, pp. 327-369. 12. The Spiritual 
Body : Ibid., pp. 373-386. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 25. -SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE EARLY CHURCH. - 

Eagerness for Miraculous Gifts Rebuked, and the Value 

of Love Exalted. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 467. Design of the Lesson. To show the nature of the miraculous gifts 
bestowed upon the early Christians, and the strife and disturbance caused in the 
Corinthian church by the mania to possess and exercise the gift of tongues. Also 
to show how Paul rebuked this inordinate desire, and pointed out the utility of 
the gift of prophecy in comparison with the gift of tongues and the superiority of 
love to all gifts. 

§468. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read attentively the 
twelfth chapter in 1 Corinthians for the purpose of learning what the various 
gifts were which the Holy Spirit had distributed in the church; then study the 
special characteristics of the gifts of prophecy and of tongues as they are con- 
trasted in chapter fourteen. 

(2) Read again the account of the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost 
(Acts 2 : 1-13), and compare its manifestation at that time with its later manifes- 
tation in Corinth. 

(3) Call attention to the spirit that prevailed in the Corinthian church to use 
these gifts, not so much for the edification of the church as for personal vain- 
glory and display, and how the more showy of these gifts were eagerly obtruded, 
for the purpose evidently of creating a feeling of envy in those who did not 
possess them. 

(4) Note how Paul not only rebuked this selfish spirit and the disorders intro- 
duced by it into the public assemblies, but laid down a principle by which the 
value of any spiritual gift might be tested, namely, that of usefulness in building 
up the church. Tested by this standard, the gift of prophecy — speaking for God 
and in behalf of him to the conversion and edification of men — was immeasurably 
greater than that of tongues. 

(5) But, in conclusion, observe that love transcends all gifts in value and per- 
manency; indeed, that without it all gifts are worthless; and that its possession 
and exercise are not limited to a favored few, but should be the happy and 
ennobling possession of everyone. 



144 The Bible Study Manual. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

DIVERSITY OF GIFTS. 

§469. Source and Object of All Gifts. [The] gifts, were different; the 
. . . channels of their working, were different; the . . . effects of them were 
different; but the source of them was One — one Holy Ghost, from whom they 
are all derived; one Lord, by whom all true ministries of them are authorised 
. . . [and these] diverse manifestations of one Spirit, . . . were all subordinated 
to one sole end — edification. And, therefore, to indulge in any conflict between 
gifts, any rivalry in their display, was to rend asunder the unity which reigned 
supreme through this rich multiplicity; to throw doubt on the unity of their 
origin, to ruin the unity of their action. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 395. 

§470. The Principle of "Discernment of Spirits:" The Truth of 
so-called Spiritual Utterances Tested by their Attitude toward Jesus. 

Some, we gather — either because they had given the reins to the most uncon- 
trollable excitement, and were therefore the impotent victims of any blasphemous 
thought which happened for the moment to sweep across the troubled horizon of 
their souls; or from some darkening philosophical confusion . . . ; or perhaps 
again from some yet unsolved Jewish difficulty about the verse " Cursed is he 
that hangeth on a tree; " — amid their unintelligible utterances, had been heard 
to exclaim, Anathema lesous, "Jesus is accursed;" and, having as yet very \ague 
notions as to the true nature of the " gift of tongues," the Corinthians had asked 
Paul in great perplexity what they were to think of this? 

His direct answer is emphatic. When they were the ignorant worshippers of 
dumb idols they may have been accustomed to the false inspiration of the Pythia, 
or the Sibyl — the possessing mastery by a spiritual influence which expressed 
itself in the broken utterance, and streaming hair, and foaming lip, and which 
they might take to be the spirit of Python, or Trophonius, or Dis. But now he 
lays down the great principles of that " discernment of spirits," which should 
enable them to distinguish the rapt utterance of divine emotion from the mechan- 
ical and self-induced frenzy of feminine feebleness or hypocritical superstition. 
Whatever might be the external phenomena, the utterances of the Spirit were one 
in import. No man truly inspired by him could say, "Anathema is Jesus;" or 
uninspired by Him could say from the heart, " Jesus is the Lord." — Farrar ; 
St. Paul, p. 395. 

§471. Many Members; One Body. Illustrating the relation of Christians 
to one another by the figure of the members of a body, Paul suggests several 
ideas. 

1. The unity of Christians is a vital unity. The members of the body of Christ 
form one whole because they partake of one common life. " By one Spirit are 
we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be 
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." . . . 

2. Paul is careful to show that the very efficiency of the body depends upon the 
multiplicity and variety of the members of which it is composed : " If they were 
all one member, where were the body?" "If the whole body were an eye, 
where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? " 
The lowest forms of life have either no distinct organs or very few; but the 
higher we ascend in the scale of life the more numerous and more distinctly dif- 
ferentiated are the crgans. . . . The same law necessarily holds true of the body 
of Christ. It is highly organized, and no one organ can do the whole work of 
the body. . . . The more nearly this body approaches perfection, the more vari- 
ous and distinct will these gifts be . . , 



Library Extracts on Lesson 25. 145 

3. As there is to be no slothful self-disparagement in the body of Christ, so 
must there be no depreciation of other people. "The eye cannot say unto the 
hand, I have no need of thee : nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of 
you." . . . 

4. Lastly, Paul is careful to teach that " the manifestation of the Spirit is given 
to every man to profit withal" It is not for the glorification of the individual 
that the new spiritual life manifests itself in this or that remarkable form, but for 
the edification of the body of Christ. — Dods : I Corinthians, pp. 284-287, 289, 
290. 

LOVE GREATER THAN ALE GIFTS. 

§472. Paul's Eulogy of Love. The surpassing beauty of this chapter has 
been felt and expressed wherever it has been read, by persons of the most oppo- 
site religious views, and by those who can appreciate only its literary qualities. In 
the chapters that go before there is eloquence too, but of a different kind — keen, 
impassioned, vehement; the next chapter but one also rises to the height of sub- 
limity; but here all is serene. The opening verses are a grand introduction to 
what follows, sweeping away as worthless the very best things which want 
the cardinal principle of love. This is then defined by no fewer than fifteen 
characteristics, eight negative and seven positive. The terse precision and won- 
derful completeness of these strike every discerning reader; while the periods roll 
on in rhythmic melody to the end of the chapter, like a strain of richest music 
tlying away, or a golden sunset; and everything is seen out but Love, which is 
found standing alone as the enduring life of heaven. — Brown: In Meyer's Com- 
mentary, Corinthians, p. 310. 

§473. Love Contrasted, Analyzed, Defended. [The 13th chapter of I 
Corinthians takes us] to Christianity at its source; and there we have seen, "The 
greatest of these is love." It is not an oversight. Paul was speaking of faith 
just a moment before. ... So far from forgetting he deliberately contrasts them, 
"Now abideth Faith, Hope, Love," and without a moment's hesitation the deci- 
sion falls, " The greatest of these is Love." . . . 

In this noble eulogy he has given us the most wonderful and original account 
extant of the sumtnum bonum. We may divide it into three parts. In the 
beginning of the short chapter, we have Love contrasted; in the heart of it, we 
have Love analyzed; toward the end, we have Love defended as the supreme gift. 

Paul begins by contrasting Love with other things that men in those days 
thought much of. I shall not attempt to go over those things in detail. Their 
inferiority is already obvious. He contrasts it with eloquence. And what a noble 
gift it is. . . . [Yet] Paul says, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 
. . . He contrasts it with prophecy. He contrasts it with mysteries. He contrasts 
it with faith. He contrasts it with charity. . . . Then Paul contrasts it with 
sacrifice and martyrdom. . . . 

After contrasting Love with these things, Paul, in three verses, very short, gives 
us an amazing analysis of what this supreme thing is. I ask you to look at it. 
It is a compound thing, he tells us. It is like light. . . . The Spectrum of Love 
has nine ingredients: . . . Patience; kindness; generosity; humility; courtesy; 
unselfishness; good temper; guilelessness; sincerity — these make up the 
supreme gift, the stature of the perfect man. . . . 

Now I have a closing sentence or two to add about Paul's reason for singling 
out love as the supreme possession. It is a very remarkable reason. In a single 
word it is this: it lasts. " Love," urges Paul, " never faileth." Then he begins 
again one of his marvellous lists of the great things of the day, and exposes them 



146 The Bible Study Manual. 

one by one. He runs over the things that men thought were going to last, and 
shows that they are all fleeting, temporary, passing away. . . . The immortal soul 
must give itself to something that is immortal. And the only immortal things are 
these: "Now abideth faith, hope, lovc^ but the greatest of these is love." — 
Drummond : Addresses, pp. 16, 20-24, 26-28, 59, 66. 

§474. Love is the Greatest. Faith is the root of love. It is the believing 
apprehension of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, that calls forth love 
to Him. . . . We are said to be sanctified, to be made the children of God, to 
overcome the world, to be saved by faith. Christ dwells in our hearts by faith; 
he that believes hath eternal life, i.e. faith as including knowledge is eternal life. 
There are no higher effects than these, so far as we are concerned. Others say 
that love is superior to faith and hope, because the latter belong to the present 
state only, and love is to continue for ever. But, according to the true explana- 
tion of the verse, all these graces are declared to abide. 

The true explanation is to be found in the use which Paul makes of this word 
greater, or the equivalent term better. In 12: 31, he exhorts his readers to seek 
the better gifts, i.e. the more useful ones. And in 14: 5 he says, 'Greater is he, 
that prophesies, than he that speaks with tongues '; i.e. he is more useful. 

"Throughout that chapter [14] the ground of preference of one gift to ethers 
is made to consist in its superior usefulness. This is Paul's standard; and judged 
by this rule, love is greater than either faith or hope. Faith saves ourselves, but 
love benefits others." Hodge : In Meyer's Commentary, Corinthians, pp. 310, 311. 

§ 475. Infinite Possibilities of Love. Love transcends all other gifts. It 
never ceases. In the future world the other gifts will disappear, at least in their 
present nature. The mysterious tongues will cease in the land, where all under- 
stand them. Prophecies will be lost in their fulfillment, like the aurora in the 
noon. Knowledge, which on earth is but partial, will merge in immediate, per- 
fect intuition. Nay, faith itself will be exchanged for sight, and hope for fruition. 
But love, by which even here we have fellowship of life with God through Christ, 
remains love. It changes not. It rises not out of its element. It passes not into 
another sphere. It only deepens and expands. It can never gain higher ground, 
never reach another and better form of union with God; but only continues to 
grow stronger, fuller, more lively, and more blissful. — S chaff : Apostolic Church, 
p. 484. 

§ 476. Writers on Love Compared. It is possible, though unlikely, that 
Paul may have read the eulogium pronounced on love by the greatest of Greek 
writers five hundred years before : " Love is our lord, supplying kindness and 
banishing unkindness, giving friendship and forgiving enmity, the joy of the good, 
the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods; desired by those who have 
no part in him, and precious to those who have the better part in him ; parent of 
delicacy, luxury, desire, fondness, softness, grace; careful of the good, uncareful 
of the evil. In every word, work, wish, fear — pilot, helper, defender, saviour; 
glory of gods and men, leader best and brightest; in whose footsteps let every 
man follow, chanting a hymn and joining in that fair strain with which love 
charms the souls of gods and men." 

Five hundred years after Paul another eulogium was pronounced on love by 
Mohammed: "Every good act is charity: your smiling in your brother's face; 
your putting a wanderer in the right road; your giving water to the thirsty, or 
exhortations to others to do right. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good he 
has done in this world to his fellow-man. When he dies, people will ask, What 
property has he left behind him? but the angels will ask what good deeds he has 
sent before him." 



Library Extracts on Lesson 25. 147 

Paul's eulogium is the more effective because it exhibits in detail the various 
ramifications of this exuberant and fruitful grace, how it runs out into all our 
intercourse with our fellow-men and carries with it a healing and sweetening 
virtue. It imbues the entire character, and contains in itself the motive of all 
Christian conduct. It is " the fulfilling of the Law." Its claims arc paramount 
because it embraces all other ^i irtues. If a man has love, there is no grace impos- 
sible to him or into which love will not on occasion develop. Love becomes 
courage of the most absolute kind where clanger threatens its object. It begets 
wisdom and a skill which put to shame technical training and experience. It 
brings forth self-restraint and temperance as its natural fruit; it is patient, forgiv- 
ing, modest, humble, sympathizing. — Dods : I Corinthians, pp. 299, 300. 

THE GIFT OF PROPHECY BETTER THAN THE GIFT OF TONGUES. 

§ 477. The Gift of Prophecy. With prophecy indeed there is no great 
difficulty. Prophesying is speaking for God, whether the utterance regards pres- 
ent or future matters. . . . Prediction is not necessarily any part of the prophet's 
function. It may be so, and often it was so, but a man might be a prophet who 
had no revelation of the future. In the sense in which Paul uses the word, a 
prophet was " an inspired teacher and exhorter who revealed to men the secrets 
of God's will and word and the secrets of their own hearts for the purpose of 
conversion and edification." . . . The gift of prophecy, then, was the endowment 
which enabled a Christian to speak so as to bring the mind and spirit of the 
hearer into touch with God. — Dods : I Corinthians, pp. 313, 314. 

§ 478. The Gift of Tongues. The gift of tongues is involved in greater 
obscurity. On its first occurrence, as recorded in the book of Acts, it would seem 
to have been the gift of speaking in foreign languages . . . , " every man hear- 
ing," as it is said, " his own language, the tongue wherein he was born." It 
would certainly seem probable, therefore, that, whether the gift afterwards 
changed its character or not, it was originally the power of speaking in a foreign 
language so as to be intelligible to any one who understood that language. This 
gift was of course communicated, not as a permanent acquisition, to fit men to 
preach the Gospel in foreign countries, but merely as a temporary impulse to utter 
words which to themselves had no meaning. All spiritual gifts seem to have been 
inconstant in their influence. . . . This " gift of tongues " was only available " as 
the Spirit gave utterance " to each, and failed to communicate a constant and 
complete command of the language. . . . 

If then this gift was intermittent and did not qualify its possessor to use a 
foreign language for the ordinary purposes of life or for preaching the Gospel, 
what was its use? It served the same purpose as other miracles; it made visible 
and called attention to the entrance of new powers into human nature. As Paul 
says, it was "for them that believe not, not for them that believe." It was meant 
to excite inquiry, not to instruct the mind of the Christian. . . . 

It must, however, be said that the common opinion of scholars is that the gift 
of tongues did not consist in ability to speak a foreign language even temporarily, 
but in an exalted frame of mind which found expression in sounds or words 
belonging to no human language. — Dods: I Corinthians, pp. 314-316; see also 
Library Extracts, Lesson 2, § 32. 

§ 479. Comparative Value of these Gifts. Wherefore, brethren, covet to 
prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. And here again the old prefer- 
ence for prophecy is expressed. This gitt is to be decidedly preferred and sought 
for, the other is only not to be hindered. " We recognize here an advance in the 
development of thought. At the start Paul said : ' covet earnestly spiritual gifts,' 



148 The Bible Study Manual. 

and planting himself on the stand-point of the Corinthians, he had included 
among these the gift of tongues. But after having explained how prophecy 
subserved the welfare of the church far more, he here gives this preference and 
only expresses the wish that no obstacle be put in the way of the other." — S chaff : 
In Lange's Commentary, I Corinthians, p. 299a. 

§ 480. Paul's Instruction against Disorder in Public Worship. The 

disorders ... in the Corinthian Church had sprung from the selfish struggle of 
each to show off his own special gift, whether tongue, or psalm, or teaching, or 
revelation. If they would bear in mind that edification was the object of worship, 
such scenes would not occur. Only a few at a time, therefore, were to speak 
with tongues, and only in case some one could interpret, otherwise they were to 
suppress the impulse. Nor were two people ever to be preaching at the same 
time. If the rivalry of unmeaning sounds among the glossolalists had been 
fostered by some Syrian enthusiast, the less, intolerable but still highly objection- 
able disorder of rival preachers absorbed in the " egotism of oratory " was an 
abuse introduced by the admirers of Apollos. In order to remedy this he lays 
down the rule that if one preacher was speaking, and another felt irresistibly 
impelled to say something, the first was to cease. It was idle to plead that they 
could not control themselves. The spirits which inspire the true prophet are 
under the prophet's due control, and God is the author, not of confusion but of 
peace. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 397. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 481. Object ,of Spiritual Gifts. God gives us talents, not so much for our 
personal pleasure, as for his own glory, and the upbuilding of his kingdom in the 
earth. 

§ 482. The Gift of Tongues. The gift of tongues was intended as a mirac- 
ulous witness to the power of God, unto the unbelieving. The mysterious and 
showy nature of the gift made it the most sought after in Corinth, and the exer- 
cise of it in the church brought little else than confusion. We need to seek and 
cultivate those special gifts which are most needed for the development of an 
" all-around " Christian character. 

§483. Religious Services not to be Conducted in an Unknown 
Tongue. Paul's condemnation of the gift of tongues as useless unless it be 
interpreted condemns by implication the use in modern religious services of a 
foreign language which the common people cannot understand. It violates the 
precept, " Let all things be done unto edifying,'' for utterances that are not 
understood are at best only like a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. 

§484. Faith, Hope and Charity. The three graces of mythology were 
beautiful in form; the three Christian graces are beauties of character. Greek 
art and life led to the worship of an evanescent beauty; Christianity seeks the 
culture of the soul, and therefore idealizes those attributes of character which 
contribute to a man's immortal welfare. 

§485. Relation of Love and Christianity. Our lack of love is the meas- 
ure of our lack of Christianity. If we would have this gift, it must be cultivated 
by an earnest striving commensurate with our reward. Without it, all other gifts, 
sacrifices and efforts are vain. 

§ 486. Love, the Essential Thing. If the spirit of love animates a man's 
life, he cannot but find favor with God and man. It both cultivates and refines, 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 26. 149 

and will iio much to insure success in life. It is not so much what a man does, 
as the spirit in which he does it that makes the difference both here and hereafter. 

§ 487. Daily Life, the Test of Character. Not in great deeds do we show 
our character, but in the daily actions of life. The best monument of a good 
man's life is the life itself, filled as it should be with " the little unremembered acts 
of kindness and of love." 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Concerning Spiritual Gifts: Dods, i Corinthians, ch. 18; Schaff, Apostolic 
Church, pp. 469-474. 2. Speaking with Tongues: Meyer, Commentary, Corinth- 
ians, p. 298; Schaff, Apostolic Church, pp. 474-480; Beet, Commentary, Corinthians, 
pp. 259-262 ; Lange, Commentary, 1 Corinthians, pp. 299-301^. 3. GlFl's OF KNOWL- 
EDGE AND OF WILL: Schaff, Apostolic Church, pp. 480-483; Meyer, Commentary, 
Corinthians, p. 298. 4. No Gift Like Love: Dods, 1 Corinthians, ch. 19; Schaff, 
Apostolic Church, pp. 483, 484; Beet, Commentary, Corinthians, pp. 233-235; Lange, 
Commentary, 1 Corinthians," pp. 266-274. 5. Spiritual Gifts and Public Wor- 
ship: Dods, 1 Corinthians, ch. 20. 6. ON WOMEN SPEAKING IN MEETING: Alford, 
Greek Testament, vol. ii, Corinthians, p. 600 : Lange, Commentary, 1 Corinthians, pp. 
302^, 303a. 



Lesson 26. -PAUL'S SECOND TOUR IE GREECE. The Collection 

for the Saints in Jerusalem. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 488. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul after completing his 
three years' ministry in Ephesus continued his third missionary journey northward 
into Macedonia, westward to Illyricum, southward into Greece where he spent 
three months, the greater part at Corinth, and thence to Troas on his way back to 
Jerusalem; how on meeting Titus in Macedonia he wrote the second epistle to 
the Corinthians; and how from Corinth he wrote the epistle to the Romans, 
because he must return to Jerusalem with the great collection and could not visit 
Rome at once. 

§489. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note in studying this 
lesson the excessive brevity of Luke's narrative, due probably to the fact that he 
was not with Paul during this time; note, however, that what is lacking in the 
book of Acts can be supplied in large measure from Paul's own epistles written 
about this time. 

(2) Picture Paul's distress of mind until in Macedonia he met Titus with joyful 
news from Corinth touching the salutary effect of his previous letter, and with 
painful news of such virulent attacks on himself by a small faction in the church 
that he was forced to write another letter in self defense. 

(3) By means of the narrative in the Acts and of the scattered information in 
the epistles follow Paul's course from Macedonia until his return to Troas; note 
how he was surrounded by conflicts and perils, and how the Lord delivered him 
from them all and permitted him to continue his work. 



150 The Bible Study Manual. 

(4) Mark how at this time he devoted himself with especial fervor to the task 
of completing the great fund from the Gentile churches which was to be carried 
up to Jerusalem; how he was influenced in this matter by his great desire to heal, 
as far as possible, the breach between the Gentile and the Jewish portions of the 
church, and how scrupulously he guarded himself against any imputation of self- 
interest in connection with this money. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUX'S SECOND TOUR IN GREECE, AND HIS ANXIETIES ON 
THE WAY. 

§ 490. Brevity of Luke's Narrative. The period of St. Paul's career at 
which we have now arrived was full of life, vigour, activity. He was in the very 
height of his powers, was surrounded with responsibilities, was pressed with cares 
and anxieties; and yet the character of the sacred narrative is very peculiar. 
From the passover of the year 57, soon after which the Apostle had to leave 
Ephesus, till the passover of the next year, we learn but very little of St. Paul's 
work from the narrative of St. Luke. The five verses with which the twentieth 
chapter begins tell us all that St. Luke apparently knew about the Apostle's 
actions during that time. ... St. Luke, in fact, was so much taken up with his 
own duties at Philippi, where he had [probably] been labouring for the previous 
five years, that he had no time to think of what was going on elsewhere. . . . We 
may take this passage at which we have now arrived as an illustration of his 
methods of writing sacred history. This period of ten months, from the time St. 
Paul left Ephesus till he returned to Philippi at the following Easter season, was 
filled with most important labours which have borne fruit unto all ages of the 
Church, yet St. Luke dismisses them in a few words. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, 
PP- 385-387- 

§ 491. Harmony of the Acts with the Epistles. On a late visit to the 
British Museum, the author could not but greatly admire the consummate 
ingenuity displayed in uniting together, each in its proper place, the numerous 

scattered and disjointed fragments of statues and of long inscriptions In the 

present, as in many other portions of this work, we are forcibly reminded of some 
such illustration as the above. We have to frame and fit together fragments from 
sundry Epistles, written about the same time by two authors, and relating to the 
same course of events. If we can adjust them to each other, so as to form a har- 
monious and connected whole, we know that our materials are genuine. . . . The 
scientific people tell us, in accents of the mildest and the gentlest, that our docu- 
ments will not bear examination, that they are fragmentary and unsatisfactory. 
. . . But if ever historical evidence was strong, nay, irresistible, it is that which 
connects the Acts with the Epistles; it is that which connects parts of the Acts 
and parts of the Epistles, one with another, into one uniform, entirely satisfactory 
body of documentary historical evidence. — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 423, 424. 

§ 492. From Ephesus to Troas and Macedonia. When St. Paul left 
Ephesus he went straight to Troas, withthe same high motive with which he was 
always actuated — that of preaching the Gospel of Christ. He had visited the 
town before, but his stay there had been shortened by the imploring vision of the 
man of Macedon, which had decided his great intention to carry the Gospel into 
Europe. But though his preaching was now successful, and " a door was opened 
for him in the Lord," he could not stay there from extreme anxiety. . . . 



Library Extracts on Lesson 26. 151 

Titus had been told to rejoin him at Troas; hut perhaps the precipitation of 
Paul's departure from Ephesus had brought him to that town earlier than Titus 
had expected, and, in the uncertain navigation of those days, delays may easily 
have occurred. At any rate, he did not come, and Paul grew more and more 
uneasy, until in that intolerable oppression of spirit he felt that he could no longer 
continue his work, and left Troas for Macedonia. There, at last, he met Titus, 
who relieved his painful tension of mind by intelligence from Corinth, which, 
although chequered, was yet on the main point favourable. — Farrar : St. Paul, 
pp. 401, 402. 

§493. Second Epistle to the Corinthians; Occasion, Place and Time 
of Writing. (1) Occasion. — At the time of the writing of this Epistle, Paul 
had recently left Asia : in doing so had come by Troas : and thence had sailed to 
.Macedonia, where he still was. ... In Asia, he had undergone some great peril 
of his life, . . . probably a grievous sickness, not unaccompanied with deep and 
wearing anxiety. At Troas, he had expected to meet Titus, with intelligence 
respecting the effect produced at Corinth by the first Epistle. In this he was 
disappointed, but the meeting took place in Macedonia, where the expected 
tidings were announced to him. They were for the most part favourable, but not 
altogether. All who were well disposed had been humbled by his reproofs : but 
evidently his adversaries had been further embittered. He wished to express to 
them the comfort which the news of their submission had brought to him, and at 
the same time to defend his apostolic efficiency and personal character against the 
impugners of both. Under these circumstances, and with these objects, he wrote 
this Epistle, and sent it before him [by Titus and Luke, as bearers] to break the 
seventy with which he contemplated having to act against the rebellious, by win- 
ning them over if possible before his arrival. 

(2) Place. — The place of writing is nowhere clearly pointed out. . . . All 
that we can say is that the Epistle was written at one of the Macedonian churches; 
more probably at the last which he visited than at the first. The principal of 
those churches were at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Bercea. ... It would seem 
likely that Thessalonica was the place. But all is conjecture, beyond the fact that 
it was written from Macedonia. 

(3) Time. — The time of writing is fixed within very narrow limits. About 
Pentecost A.D. 57 Paul left Ephesus for Troas: there he stayed some little time: 
thence went to Macedonia; and sufficient time had elapsed for him to have ascer- 
tained the mind of the Macedonian churches and to have made the collection. 
Here falls in our Epistle : after which he came into Greece (Corinth) and abode 
there three months : and then is found, after travelling by land through Macedonia, 
at Philippi on his return at Easter, 58. So that the Epistle was written in the 
summer or autumn of 57. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. ii, Prolegomena, 2 
Corinthians, pp. 59, 60. 

§ 494. Preaching in Illyricum. As the historian is not with him, he writes 
in the third person, and the narrative is exceedingly brief; and into the short 
sentence, "When he had gone over those parts," we are to fit Romans 15 : 19: 
" Round about even unto Illyricum, 1 have fully preached the Gospel of Christ." 
The journey to Illyricum (its here, and it fits nowhere else. Thence he came into 
Greece, and there abode three months. — Malleson : St. Paul, p. 428. 

§495. From Macedonia to Greece; Three Months in Corinth. It would 
rather seem that Greece here denotes the Roman province of Achaia, compre- 
hending Greece proper and the Peioponnesus, the capital of which was Corinth. 
As Paul must have spent several months in Macedonia and Illyricum, it would be 



152 The Bible Study Manual. 

the winter season, and hence it is probable that he went to Greece (Corinth) by 
land. Athens is not again mentioned after Acts 18 : 1, so that it is uncertain if he 
revisited that city. ... 

Three months were doubtless spent at Corinth, and in its neighbourhood. His 
long-promised visit to that city was accomplished, and he now carried into fulfil- 
ment his purpose of wintering there. It was during this residence at Corinth that 
Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans . . . [which] was sent by Phoebe, a 
deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth. — Gloag : Commen- 
tary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 229, 230. 

§496. Companions of the Apostle and his Work at Corinth. Besides 
the Apostle himself, there was the youthful Timothy . . . ; Luke, the accom- 
plished physician, and now the Evangelist; Titus, on whose judgment and dis- 
cretion Paul had twice relied to calm the disturbances in the Corinthian church; 
Trophimus ( the Ephesian, the companion of Titus, and one of the delegates 
charged with the alms for the poor Hebrews; Jason, who had risked his life by giv- 
ing shelter to the Apostle at Thessalonica; Tychicus the Ephesian, faithful as we 
shall see to the last . . . ; Erastus, the chamberlain of Corinth; and, perhaps, 
Sosthenes the Corinthian, who from his influence and character had been asso- 
ciated with Paul in the opening salutation of one of the Epistles; Sopater of 
Beroea, Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, and Gaius, Stephanas, For- 
tunatus, and Achaicus, all of Corinth. 

With such a phalanx of trusty followers, the Apostle commenced his winter 
campaign for the extirpation of immorality and vice, and the overthrow of heresy 
and spiritual arrogance. Titus, Luke and Trophimus, who had preceded him, 
had done much, but only the hand of Paul could extract the evil by the roots. . . . 
As for the Judaizing faction, headed by their false apostle, they had set Paul at 
defiance while at a distance, had ridiculed his diminutive stature, mocked his 
feebleness of speech, and held up to derision his fulminating epistle addressed to 
them from Macedonia. . . . And now Paul had arrived, and, with a courage that 
never flinched, descended into the arena to measure his strength against his 
boastful antagonist. . . . From another quarter we may glean the fact, that under 
Paul's auspices order was fully restored in the Corinthian church. — Lewin : St. 
Paul, vol. ii, pp. 38, 39. 

§ 497. From Corinth to Troas. Plot of the Jews Discovered. Paul, 
while at Ephesus, had announced an intention of passing the -winter at Corinth. 
. . . Paul abode there the space of three months, [and] at the end of February, 
A.D. 58, . . . was ready to depart. The plan of his route at this time was to sail 
direct to Jerusalem, and thence to Rome, on his way into Spain. . . . Paul was 
now ready to pass from Corinth to Cenchrea, the place for embarkation for Jeru- 
salem. A prospect of peril was before him, . . . and he was fully apprised of the 
danger. ... He had once hesitated as to the propriety of visiting Jerusalem, 
but . . . Macedonia and Achaia had requested him to superintend the distribu- 
tion of their alms, and after the liberality with which they had responded to his 
call he could scarcely refuse. 

He was just on the point of starting from Corinth, when all his plans were 
deranged by the discovery of another conspiracy against his life. The Jews of 
Corinth on his former visit had attempted to procure his conviction before Gallio, 
the Proconsul. . . . Despairing of their object by legitimate means, they now had 
recourse to the work of assassins. What was the precise plot does not appear. 
. . . Paul eluded his adversaries by a change of route. He determined, instead 
of crossing the sea direct, to go round by Macedonia. The better to escape a 
watchful foe, Paul and his friends divided themselves into two companies, . . . 



Library Extracts on Lesson 26. 153 

[one] should sail for Trons, the common resting-place, and there await the Apos- 
tle's arrival, and that Paul himself [and his company] . . . shoald make a forced 
march by land up to and through Macedonia, and rejoin the others at Troas. 
. . . [Paul tarried in Philippi during Passover week, March 27 to April 3.] 
At Xeapolis he was detained by contrary winds, or perhaps no vessel was ready to 
sail at the moment of his arrival. At all events, he did not reach Troas until the 
fifth day after leaving Philippi, the day of starting included, which brings us to 
Saturday the 8th of April. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 40, 74, 75. 

THE COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS IN JERUSALEM. 

§ 49S. Liberality of the Macedonian Church. Not only did Titus bring 
him [Paul] tidings of a better mind in the Corinthians, but also of the favourable 
progress of the great collection for Jerusalem. The Christians of Macedonia 
had not given out of their abundance, but of their poverty; not in flourishing 
times of prosperity, but in a great trial of affliction. They were a poor Church, 
yet ''their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality" . . . , 
sending to distant brethren, between whom and themselves a wide sea rolled, 
[they] gave according to their power; yea, and beyond their power Paul bore 
record that they gave of their own accord. The secret of their power to do this 
lay in these words, that they " first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us 
by the will of God." — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 430, 431. 

For the reason why gifts were necessary, see Library Extracts, Lesson 4, §§ 67, 68. 

§ 499. Contribution from the Achaians. [In all probability, while at 
Corinth Paul] made excursions thence to . . . other neighbouring Churches, 
which (as we know) he had established at his first visit throughout all the region 
of Achaia, and which, perhaps, needed his presence, his exhortations, and his 
correction, no less than the metropolitan Church. Meanwhile, he was employed 
in completing that great collection for the Christians of Palestine, upon which we 
have seen him so long engaged. The Christians of Achaia, from whose compara- 
tive wealth much seems to have been expected, had already prepared their con- 
tributions, by laying aside something for the fund on the first day of every week; 
and, as this had been going on for more than a year, the sum laid by must have 
been considerable. This was now collected from the individual contributors, and 
entrusted to cerlain treasurers elected by the whole Church, who were to carry it 
to Jerusalem in company with St. Paul. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, 
vol. ii, p. 154. 

§ 500. The Bearers of the Gift ; Reasons for their Appointment. The 
fact that he [Paul] had not received money from the Corinthians was used against 
him in a double way. It was said that that was a proof that he was not a genu- 
ine apostle; he had not the authority which belonged to the others. And on the 
other hand, it was said that he had had some deep purpose in this. He had not 
indeed taken their money, but that was a part of a plan by which he was going 
to get a much larger sum from them. ... He had done this only that when the 
time came he might easily succeed in his nefarious purpose. ... It was a plaus- 
ible charge, for how could they know whether Taul really delivered all the money 
that was passed over to him? Paul was wise enough to see that such charges 
were likely to be made, and had forestalled them by arranging that every congre- 
gation that sent money should also send a delegate with it, to see that their 
contribution reached its destined place. In the whole matter of the contribution 
he had asked the churches to appoint some one to travel with him . . . that he 
might help in the collection and management of the money; for he had deter- 
mined to make it impossible that any one should blame him and charge him with 



154 The Bible Study Manual. 

dishonesty in money matters. So we find several " messengers of the churches " 
with him, a part i*f whose duty it was to see that the money reached its destina- 
tion. This throws a strong side light on the character of Paul. — Thatcher : 
Apostolic Church, pp. 246, 247. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 501. Unintentional Verification of the Narrative. The harmony of the 
Acts and the epistles is an unintentional verification of the truth of the narrative. 
That the fragmentary statements of the epistles should so accurately fit into the 
more complete narrative of the Acts, is a marvelous confirmation of the truth of 
both epistles and Acts. 

§ 502. The Motive of Christ's Example. Christian benevolence should be 
inspired by the thought that Christ gave himself for us, and that we owe him 
not only our own selves, but all that we possess besides; giving for the promotion 
of any interest connected with his kingdom should not therefore be permitted 
to degenerate into a grudging charity, but should rise into a most blessed 
privilege. 

§ 503. Principles better Guides than Arbitrary Rules. In the matter of 
giving, as in other cases, when Paul was asked regarding questions of duty, he was 
not content with laying down a fixed rule, but sought for the underlying principle. 
A rule covers only a particular case, a principle covers a whole field of human 
actions. 

§ 504. Christian Charity. The secret of Christian giving is stated in the 
words of Paul concerning the Macedonians, they first gave their own selves to the 
Lord, and unto us by the will of God." Having given themselves, it was no diffi- 
cult task for them to give of what men call " their own." " Remember that con- 
secrated giving will be impossible without a consecrated giver. Therefore I 
counsel you to seek the special grace and anointing of the Holy Spirit, that he 
may work in you that consecration of heart and life on which so much depends." 
— A. J. Gordon. (Closing words of his letter to his church on the 25th anniver- 
sary of his pastorate.) 

§ 505. Systematic Giving better than Spasmodic Generosity. A sum so 
large as to seem beyond one's ability if given at once, or even in two or three 
portions, can often be given wilhout serious inconvenience if divided into fifty-two 
weekly offerings. A large number of regular weekly gifts, even though many of 
them be small, will secure larger amounts for church and mission work than can 
be obtained in any other way. Systematic giving tends to enlarge the sphere of 
one's sympathies, and to secure the best distribution of one's gifts; above all it 
cultivates the habit of giving from principle instead of from impulse, and deepens 
one's sense of responsibility concerning this virtue. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Ephesus as a Center of Christian Influence: Stokes, Acts of the 
Apostles, vol. ii, pp. 349, 350. 2. The Situation in Corinth to which 2 
Corinthians Addressed Itself: Denney, 2 Corinthians, vol. ii, p. 2. 3. Malicious 
Charges of the Corinthian Factions : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 
405-407, 424, 425; Thatcher, Apostolic Church, pp. 244-249; JVeander, Planting and 
Training, pp. 258-260. 4. Purification of the Church at Corinth : Conybeare 
a?id Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 151-154. 5. COLLECTION FOR 
the Saints at Jerusalem : Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. ii, pp. 389, 390. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2J. 155 

Lesson 27. -PAUL'S DEPENSE OF HIS AP0ST0LI0 AUTHOKITY. 
Eeply to his Jewish Opponents in Oorinth. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 506. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul met the malicious charges 
of his enemies in Corinth that he was no true apostle of Christ, and that, even 
if he were a true apostle, he had overstepped the assigned limits of his authority 
by extending it so as to include the Corinthians. 

^ 507. Preparing- and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Notice that the ground 
on which Paul's enemies at Corinth assailed his authority as an apostle throws 
light on the character of his opponents, who were, as in Galatia and elsewhere, 
Judaizers, or Jewish Christians, who abhorred Paul's doctrine of freedom from the 
law, and who sought to foster a legal temper in the Pauline churches. 

(2) Call attention also to the fact that the immediate occasion of the revolt 
against his authority was his attempt to enforce discipline in the church after it 
had permitted gross moral offenses to pass unrebuked. 

(3) Observe the spirit in which Paul asserts his authority — with the utmost 
firmness, yet with the utmost humility, not resenting angrily the malicious 
slanders of his enemies, but appealing at the very outset to the meekness and 
gentleness of Christ as an example for every Christian to follow. 

(4) Mark the line of argument adopted by Paul; an affirmation that his 
authority was derived from the Lord himself; that Christ had included the 
Corinthians within its scope, and that his credentials were his services and suffer- 
ings for Christ. Measured by this incontestable standard his claims were not only 
as good as those of his boastful rivals who could show no such proofs of devotion 
to Christ, but he was in no wise behind the very chiefest of the apostles. Of 
revelations he could also boast, but he would rather speak of the thorn in the 
flesh with which the Corinthians were acquainted and which was due to the very 
greatness of the revelations given to him. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PRELIMINARY. 

§ 508. The Christ Party at Corinth. There was a person in Corinth — 
more than one indeed, but one in particular \_cf. 2 Cor. 1 1 : 20] . . . who claimed to 
be Christ's, or of Christ, in a sense which disparaged and was meant to disparage 
Paul. . . . The individuals here referred to are taxed with an exclusiveness and 
arrogance, and in the close of the chapter [10 : 12-16] with a wanton trespassing 
on Paul's province, which show that they were not native to the Church, but 
intruders into it. They were confident that they were Christ's in a sense which 
discredited Paul's apostleship, and entitled them, so to speak, to legitimate a 
Church which his labours had called into being. Everything compels us to recog- 
nise in them Jewish Christians, who had been connected with Christ in a way in 
which Paul had not; who had known Him in the flesh, or had brought recom- 
mendatory letters from the Mother Church at Jerusalem; and who, on the strength 



156 The Bible Study Manual. 

of these accidents, gave themselves airs of superiority in Pauline Churches, and 
corrupted the simplicity of the Pauline Gospel. — Denney : 2 Corinthians, p. 301. 

§ 509. Paul's Apostleship Denied. Purpose of the Attack. In these 
Epistles [i and 2 Cor.] the controversy between St. Paul and his opponents takes 
the form of an attack and a defence of his apostolic standing, and of his personal 
character in connection therewith. The advocates of a Judaistic Christianity do 
not seem to have made, in Corinth, any direct attempt to induce the members of 
the Church to submit to the rite of circumcision, or any other part of the Jewish 
law, probably for the simple reason that such an attempt in that centre of Greek 
life would have been futile. They appear to have confined their efforts in foster- 
ing a legal temper to questions of detail, such as the eating of meats offered to 
idols. . . . The anti-Paulinists would be obliged to pursue their end ... by a 
circuitous course. They could not, with hope of success, teach their own doctrines, 
but they might assail the man who taught doctrines of an opposite nature, might 
blacken his character, and plausibly deny, or cunningly undermine, his apostolic 
standing. . . . 

There is very little bearing on the great controversy to be found in the First 
Epistle. . . . Only a few slight hints occur here and there of the presence of a 
hostile element bent on undermining the apostle's influence and authority, such 
as the reference to the parties into which the Church was divided, the allusion 
to some who were puffed up because they thought the apostle was frightened to 
visit Corinth, and the abrupt manner in which, in the ninth chapter, the writer, in 
interrogative form, asserts his apostolic dignity and privileges. — Bruce : St. Paul, 
pp. 71, 72. 

§510. Source of the Discord; Paul's Command Disobeyed. Unques- 
tionably, this very serious crisis was connected with the affair of the incestuous 
person, whose excommunication Paul had demanded. . . . This circumstance 
could not by itself have led to the far-reaching effects which are now apparent. 
It became a source of discord, only from the opportunity that it afforded Paul's 
adversaries for attacking the integrity of his character and the authority of his 
apostleship. . . . Paul's directions had not been obeyed. Discussions had arisen 
on the mode of procedure proposed by the apostle, and the authority to which he 
laid claim. Instead of the unanimity in excommunicating the guilty person 
which he had expected from the Church, a majority and a minority had been 
formed. . . . 

A division like this, on a point of discipline so simple and obvious, is matter for 
astonishment. . . . [Paul writes for them] " to deliver such a man unto Satan, for 
the destruction of the flesh, and the salvation of the spirit at the day of the Lord." 
What did Paul mean by this demand? Evidently, he was thereby exercising his 
apostolic authority over the Church of Corinth. He was convoking a general 
assembly of the Church, over which he wished to preside spiritually. He was 
acting in the capacity of an apostle of Jesus Christ, on a level with the Twelve, 
assuming to himself the same rights and authority. But it was precisely these rights 
and this authority that his Judaizing adversaries at Corinth disputed. To obey his 
orders, under these circumstances, would be to acknowledge the very thing that they 
denied him. Now, it must not be forgotten how powerful the Judaizing tendency 
represented by the partisans of Cephas and Christ was in Corinth. . . . Owing 
to the affair of the incestuous person and Paul's claims, that which in the first 
instance was only a discussion on the merits of different missionaries, had 
speedily become an ecclesiastical and dogmatic schism. 

The apostle's letter had helped to bring on the crisis, and to raise the n.ain 
question. . . . How could his adversaries accept declarations such as that of 



Library Extracts on Lesson 27. 157 

I Cor. 9:1, where Paul asserts his apostleship and founds it on the vision of Christ; 
or . . . that by the grace of God he had laboured more than all the rest? . . . 
Paul was accused of extravagant boasting. . . . Contrary to all reason and justice, 
he is usurping apostolic privileges. He is not competent for such an office., and 
has not been called to it. His wish is to lord it over Christ's heritage, in order 
to make his gain out of it. . . . We understand thus why it is that the whole dis- 
cussion in this epistle [2 Cor.], from first to last, turns on Paul's apostolic author- 
ity. — Sabaiier; St. Paul, pp. 166-168. 

PAUL'S AUTHORITY AFFIRMED AND DESCRIBED. 

§511. Paul Affirms his Apostleship. [It was the Judaizers in Corinth 
that had denied Paul's apostolate.j lie now turns to the faction headed by the 
false teacher, and . . . levels against them the shafts cf bitter irony, or threatens 
to pour out the vials of wrath if they did not repent. He commences by saying, 
that humble as he was in person, and feeble in speech, he was yet armed with 
power enough from Christ to bring down all spiritual pride in such as arrayed 
themselves against the truth. " For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imagi- 
nations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and 
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and having in 
readiness to revenge all disobedience, until your obedience be fulfilled." — Lewin : 
St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 14, 15. 

§512. The Spirit in which Paul Defended his Authority. It may be 

needful, on occasion, to assert oneself, or at least one's authority; but it is difficult 
to do it without sin. . . . Paul felt this danger, and in the very sentence in which 
he puts himself and his dignity forward with uncompromising firmness, he recalls 
to his own and his readers' hearts the characteristic temper of the Lord. How 
far He was, under the most hateful provocation, from violence and passion! . . . 
It is when we are in the right that we must watch our temper, and, instead of let- 
ting anger carry us away, make our appeal for the right by the meekness and 
gentleness of Jesus. This, when right is won, makes it twice blessed. 

The words, " who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am 
of good courage towards you," are one of the sneers current in Corinth at Paul's 
expense. When he was there, his enemies said, face to face with them, he was 
humble enough; it was only when he left them he became so brave. This mean 
slander must have stung the proud soul of the Apostle — the mere quotation of it 
shows this; but the meekness and gentleness of Christ have entered into him, 
and instead of resenting it he continues in a still milder tone. . . . 

He begs them so to order their conduct that he may be spared the pain of 
demonstrating the falsehood of that charge, lie counts on taking daring action 
against some at Corinth who count of him as though he walked after the flesh; 
but they can make this face-to-face hardihood needless, and in the name, not of 
his own cowardice, but of his Lord's meekness and considerateness, he appeals to 
them to do so. — Denney : 2 Corinthians, pp. 291, 292. 

HIS GLORYING IN LABORS AND PERILS. 

§ 513. Paul Glories in Suffering for Christ's Sake. [In 2 Cor. 11 : 23-33 
there is given] the most marvellous fragment ever written of any biography; a 
fragment beside which the most imperilled lives of the most suffering saints shrink 
into insignificance, and which shows us how fractional at the best is our knowl- 
edge of the details of St. Paul's life. . . . 

Such had been his " preparation of feebleness," without which he could neither 



158 The Bible Study Manual. 

have been what he was, nor have done what he did. Such is one glimpse of a life 
never since equalled in self-devotion, as it was also " previously without precedent 
in the history of the world." Here he breaks off that part of the subject. Did 
he intend similarly to detail another series of hair-breadth escapes? or glancing 
retrospectively at his perils, does he end with the earliest and most ignominious? 
Or was it never his intention to enter into such a narrative, and did he merely 
mention the instance of ignominious escape at Damascus, so revolting to the nat- 
ural dignity of an Oriental and a Rabbi, as a climax of the disgraces he had borne? 
We cannot tell. At that point, either because he was interrupted, or because his 
mood changed, or because it occurred to him that he had already shown his 
ample superiority in the " weakness " of voluntary humiliation to even the most 
" super-apostolic Apostles," he here stops short, and so deprives us of a tale ines- 
timably precious, which the whole world might have read with breathless interest, 
and from which it might have learnt invaluable lessons. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 
417,418. 

§ 514. A Glimpse of a Most Wonderful Life. [This narrative 2 Cor. 11 : 
23-33] represents a life in the Western world . . . hitherto without precedent. 
Self-devotion for some special national cause had been often seen before; the 
career of Socrates was a lifelong service to humanity; but a continual self-devo- 
tion, involving hardships like those here described, and extending over so long a 
period and in behalf of no local or family interest, but for the interest of mankind 
at large, was, down to this period, a thing unknown. Paul did all this, and Paul 
was the first who did it. . . . It is remarkable that while there is nothing in this 
account which contradicts, yet the greater part of it goes far beyond the narrative 
of the Acts. It shows that the biography of the Apostle, unlike most biographies 
of heroes and saints, instead of overrating, underrates the difficulties and sufferings 
which we learn from the Apostle's own account, the accuracy of which is guaran- 
teed by the extreme and apparently unfeigned reluctance with which it is brought 
forward. — Stanley : In Meyer's Commentary, Corinthians, p. 668. 

HIS GLORYING IX REVELATIONS, WEAKNESSES AND DISTRESSES. 

§515. The Particular Revelation Referred to by Paul. He begins 
abruptly, " I know a man in Christ." . . . To St. Paul's consciousness the 
wonderful experience he is about to describe was not natural, still less pathologi- 
cal, but unequivocally religious. It did not befall him as a man simply, still less 
as an epileptic patient; it was an unmistakably Christian experience. Pie only 
existed for himself, during it, as " a man in Christ." " I know such a man," he 
says, "fourteen years ago caught up even to the third heaven," . . . [which] 
would be about a.d. 44. This forbids us to connect it in any way with Paul's 
conversion, which must have been twenty years earlier than this letter; and 
indeed there is no reason for identifying it with anything else we know of the 
Apostle. At the date in question, as far as can be made out from the Book of 
Acts, he must have been in Tarsus or in Antioch. The rapture itself is described 
as perfectly incomprehensible. He may have been carried up bodily to the 
heavenly places; his spirit may have been carried up, while his body remained 
unconscious upon earth : he can express no opinion about this; the truth is only 
known to God. ... It was one, solitary, incomparable experience, including in it 
a complex of visions and revelations granted by Christ : it was this, at all events, 
to the Apostle. — Denney : 2 Corinthians, pp. 347, 348. 

§ 516. Purpose of the Revelation. The revelations which Paul received 
were so sublime and holy, that the further communication of them would have 
been at variance with their character; what was disclosed to him was to be for him 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 2J. 159 

alone, for his special enlightenment, strengthening, comforting, with a view to the 
fulfilment of his great task; to others it was to remain a mystery, in order to 
preclude fanatical or other misuse. . . . As to what it was that Paul heard for 
himself, the Fathers and schoolmen made many conjectures after their fashion. 
— Meyer: Commentary, Corinthians, p. 677. 

§517. Paul's Humility. "For this cause I am well content, on Christ's 
behalf, in infirmities, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions and distresses; for 
when I am weak, then am I strong." With this noble word Paul concludes his 
enforced " glorying." He was not happy in it; it was not like him; and it is a 
triumph of the Spirit of Christ in him that he gives it such a noble turn, and 
comes out of it so well. There is a tinge of irony in the first passage in which 
he speaks of weakness, and fears that in comparison with his high-handed rivals 
at Corinth he will only have this to boast about; but as he enters into his real 
experience, and tells us what he has borne for Christ, and what he has learned in 
pain and prayer about the laws of the spiritual life, all irony passes away; the 
pure heroic heart opens before us to its depths. 

The practical lessons of the last paragraphs are as obvious as they are impor- 
tant. That the greatest spiritual experiences are incommunicable; that even the 
best men are in clanger of elation and pride; that the tendency of these sins is 
immensely strong, and can only be restrained by constant pressure; that pain, 
though one clay to be abolished, is a means of discipline actually used by God; 
that it may be a plain duty to accept some suffering, or sickness, even a humbling and 
distressing one, as Cod's will for our good, and not to pray more for its removal; 
that God's grace is given to those who accept His will, as a real reinforcement of 
their strength, nay, as a substitute, and far more, for the strength which they have 
not; that weakness, therefore, and helplessness, as foils to the present help of God, 
may actually be occasions of glorifying to the Christian, — all these, and many more, 
are gathered up in this passionate Apologia of Paul. — Denucy : 2 Corinthians, pp. 
357>35«- 

For article on the " Thorn in the Flesh," see Library Extracts, Lesson 8, § 155 (2). 

HIS ECJUAL1TY WITH THE CHIEFEST APOSTLES. 

§518. Paul States the Grounds of his Equality. His refutation of these 
charges is his success and the history of his life. The Corinthians ought to know 
that he is an apostle, for they had received the gospel through him. He surely 
did not need letters of introduction and recommendation to them! It could not 
be necessary for others to write to them that Paul was an apostle. ! They them- 
selves were his letters, the proof of his apostleship, since it was through him that 
they had believed. His work among them had been eminently successful. He 
had not been behind even the very chiefest of the apostles. All the signs of an 
apostle had been wrought among them. Let not the Corinthians think that they 
had been converted through the efforts of a second-class apostle, for the same 
signs and wonders and mighty works had been performed among them as in other 
places. They were in no respect inferior to other congregations. " And yet there 
is one point in which you are inferior tc others; I was not a burden to you; I did 
not receive any money from you, as other missionaries received from their con- 
verts. Forgive me this wrong! " Such keen irony must have made them wince. 
Thatcher: Apostolic Church, p. 248. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§519. The Weakness of Falsehood. The only possible attacks on Paul's 
character that could be made were based on misrepresentation or actual falsehood. 



160 The Bible Study Manual. 

Men might be influenced by such attacks for a time. But such charges needed 
only the light of truth turned upon them to reveal their emptiness, and to recoil 
with shame and confusion upon those who made them. Integrity of character is 
always its own best defense. 

§ 520. The Credentials of Discipleship. Not empty professions of ortho- 
doxy, nor boastful claims of spiritual superiority, nor punctilious observance of 
external rites and ceremonies; but a willingness to lose all things that men prize, 
to drink of the Master's cup of sorrow, and to be killed all the day long in self- 
forgetting and self-sacrificing service for him. 

§521. The Mission of Suffering. The chief end of human life is not 
happiness, — if it were, this world is a failure. Happiness and enjoyment, pleas- 
ant in themselves, are not the forces that build up personal character, or obliterate 
the wrongs and evils of society. In the vast majority of instances suffering is 
not penal but vicarious — the innocent suffering in place of the guilty. And such 
suffering, from the Crucified One down, is and ever will be the mightiest redemp- 
tive force in the life of the individual or of the world. 

§ 522, The Purpose of the Revelation to Paul. The revelation of celes- 
tial glories was given to Paul to strengthen him for the arduous duties of his daily 
ministry. So to many a weary toiler for Christ there has been given an hour of 
exalted communion with God, or a vision by faith of the heavenly city, which has 
cheered him in his sorrow, strengthened him in his service, and enabled him to 
press heroically on until his battle was ended and his victory won. 

§ 523. Prayer Answered by Refusal. To pray for relief in distress is both 
natural and right; Christ so prayed and the apostle Paul. But in each prayer 
there was a note of submission to the Father's will, and in each case refusal was 
the answer given. A refusal is an answer to prayer if it be so given that God 
and the soul thenceforth understand each other. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. State of the Church at Corinth : Sabatier, Apostle Paul, pp. 165-171. 
2. Remonstrance of the Apostle: Ibid., pp. 172-179. 3. Paul's Vindica- 
tion OF HIS APOSTLESHIP: Thatcher, Apostolic Church, pp. 229-231. 4. LIMITED 
Sphere of the Judaists at Corinth: Bruce, St. Paul's Conception of Chris- 
tianity, pp. 71,72. 5. The Signs of an Apostle: Denney, 2 Corinthians, ch. 17. 
6. Paul's Godly Jealousy for his Character as an Apostle: Ibid., ch. 24. 



Lesson 28. -PAUL ANTICIPATING THE CONFLICT CONCERNING 

THE JEWISH LAW IN EOME. The Sufficiency of the 

Gospel Shown. 

EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 524. Design of the Lesson. To show the historical setting of the epistle 
to the Romans; and then, having pointed out very briefly the line of Paul's argu- 
ment for the sufficiency of the gospel, to indicate more fully the culmination of 
this argument in the eighth chapter of the epistle. 

§525. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read §526 on the 
origin, character and composition of the church in Rome, and secure any other 
information on these points that may be at hand. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2&.' 161 

(2) Get a clear conception of the time, place and occasion of the writing of 
the epistle to the church in Rome, and of the reason why Paul, in closing his 
missionary work in Asia Minor and Greece, did not at once realize his long cher- 
ished desire to visit Rome. 

(3) Note carefully the line of argument in the epistle, — how Paul establishes 
first the universal guilt of the human race, and how therefore all are under con- 
demnation, the Jews under the law, as well as the Gentiles without the law 
(i : 18 — 3 : 20) ; but how a righteousness apart from the works of the law, avail- 
able through faith for both Jews and Gentiles has now been revealed through 
Christ (3:21 — 5:21); and how, finally, those who are justified by faith are 
thereby delivered from the penalty of sin (ch. 6), freed from bondage to the law 
(ch. 7), and, victorious over sin and death, are made to share in the unspeakable 
glories of God's salvation (ch. 8). 

(4) Show by a fuller study of the eighth chapter, what the new relation to 
God is into which believers are brought, what justification means, what it brings 
about, what is involved in adoption as children of God, and what is the victory 
which Christ gives. 

(5) Penally use this survey of the argument of the epistle, and what we know 
of its historical setting and of the persistency with which the Judaizers opposed 
Paul, to determine as far as possible what was the relation of this epistle to the 
great controversy concerning the Gentiles and the Jewish law. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§526. The Roman Church. (1) By whom Founded? — It was certainly 
not founded by an slposlle. . . . The fact of St. Paul addressing it by letter, and 
expressing his intention of visiting it personally, would be inconsistent with his 
own declared resolution ... of not working where another had previously laid 
the foundation. ... Of this community, though not his own immediate offspring 
in the faith, Paul takes charge as being the Apostle to the Gentiles. The Roman 
Church owed its origin, partly perhaps to believing Jews, who had returned or 
been attracted thither in the first days of Christianity, but mainly to persons con- 
verted under Paul's own preaching. This conclusion is strengthened by the long 
list of salutations in ch. 16 to Christian brethren and sisters with whose previous 
course in many cases he had been acquainted. — Alford: Greek Testament, 
vol. ii, Romans, Prolegomena, pp. 23, 34- 

(2) Character and Composition. — St. Paul addressed a mixed church of Jews and 
Gentiles, the latter perhaps, being the more numerous. There are certain passages 
which imply the presence of a large number of Jewish converts to Christianity. 
... It is professedly as the Apostle to the Gentiles that St. Paul writes to the 
Romans. lie hopes to have some fruit among them, as she had among other 
Gentiles. ... It was . . . from the Greek population of Rome, pure or mixed, 
that the Gentile portion of the Church was almost entirely drawn. . . . [The 
names of the belie\ers indicate that they] belong for the most part to the middle 
and lower grades of society. . . . The heterogeneous composition of this church 
explains the general character of the Epistle to the Romans. In an assemblage 



1 62 The Bible Study Manual. 

so various, we should expect to find not the exclusive predominance of a single 
form of error, but the coincidence of different anil opposing forms. The Gospel 
had here to contend not specially with Judaism nor specially with heathenism, 
but with both together. It was therefore the business of the Christian Teacher to 
reconcile the opposing difficulties and to hold out a meeting point in the Gospel. 
This is exactly what St. Paul does in the Epistle to the Romans. — Abbot; In 
Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., " Romans, The Epistle to the," pp. 2745, 2746. 

§527. The Epistle to the Romans. (1) By whom Written. — The 
Epistle is universally believed to be by the Apostle Paul. Neither the Judaizing 
sects of old, nor the skeptical critics of modern Germany have doubted its Paul- 
ine authorship. It is equally certain that it was written originally in the Greek 
language, and by dictation to an amanuensis. Some have doubted the genuine- 
ness of particular passages, as chapters 12-15; Du t these suggestions have never 
found favor, even among rationalizing critics. The genuineness and integrity of 
the Epistle may be regarded as practically unquestioned, and as wholly indisput- 
able. — Abbott: Commentary, Romans, p. 8i<2. 

(2) Time and Place of Composition. — The time and place of the writing of the 
Epistle can both be clearly ascertained. ... It was written when he was just 
about to leave Greece for Jerusalem, with collected gifts for the poor . . . soon 
after the date of 2 Corinthians, and just before the visit to Palestine of Acts 
[chs.] 20. 21 : that is, it was written early in A.d. 58, during the fourth year of 
Nero. 

Again, the place of writing was Corinth. Cenchrea:, the Saronic port of 
Corinth, was evidently a neighbour-town; and in 16: 23 "the city" is a phrase 
which indicates a capital; and that capital was, by the obvious meaning of that 
verse, the place where St. Paul was at the time. And this localization is con- 
firmed by comparing 16 : 23, where a Gains is St. Paul's actual host, with I Cor. 
I : 14 where a Cains appears as a Corinthian specially connected with St. Paul. 
— Moule ; In Cambridge Bible, Romans, Introduction, pp. 25, 26. 

(3) Purpose of the Epistle. — The letter is the ripest expression of Paul's 
views about the" relation of the gospel to the law. In the struggle against the 
Judaizers he had developed his arguments and become perfectly clear about his 
doctrine. The letter is an attempt to outgeneral the Judaizers, and win the 
Roman church to his views before the Judaizers should enter the field. He deter- 
mined to lay his gospel before them by letter, since he could not go in person. 
He first shows that the Jew through the teaching of the law, and the Gentile 
through the teaching of his conscience, must feel that they are sinners before 
God. It is impossible to earn salvation. The only way to obtain it is to believe 
God's word, and accept it as his free gift through Jesus Christ. — Thatcher : 
Apostolic Church, p. 250. 

PAUL'S LONG CHEKISHED DESIRE TO VISIT ROME. 

§ 528. Reason for Paul's Desire to Visit Rome. The epistle to the 
Romans . . . seems on the one hand to conclude and crown the first stage of his 
life and work, and on the other to prepare for and inaugurate the second. The 
great missionary who had undertaken to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth 
here pauses a moment, mid-way in his career. Taking a double survey, he looks 
back along the road he has traversed and forward to that which he intends to 
follow. Already from Jerusalem to Illyria there stretched the numerous succes- 
sion of Churches which seemed to mark the halting places in his long journeys. 
From Corinth at the eastern extremity, he now sees opened before him anequally 
wide field of activity towards the west. Before pushing into these new regions, he 



Library Extracts on Lesson 28. 163 

wishes to go up to Jerusalem once more. . . . Then, leaving Syria, Asia, and 
Greece behind him, "he intends to penetrate to the limits of the West, perhaps 
never more to return. With such a project in view, Rome of necessity was the 
object which in the first instance attracted and engaged the apostle's thoughts* — 
Sabatier ; Apostle Paul, pp. 187, 188. 

§ 529. Rome as a Center of Missionary Effort. The Church of this city 
afforded the most promising and convenient vantage ground for his new mission. 
In the centre of Italy, equally distant from Germany, Gaul, Spain, and Western 
Africa, Rome had the further advantage of being in direct line with the course 
which the apostle had hitherto pursued, thus linking the work he was about to 
undertake with that which he had already accomplished; so that, in Paul's view, 
the Church of Rome was destined to become a mother Church, and to be for the 
West what the great cities of Antioch, Ephesus, and Corinth had been by turn 
for the East, alike the goal and starting point of his new missionary enterprises. 

The epistle to the Romans is nothing else but the first step in the execution of 
these vast designs. In announcing his impending arrival at the capital of the 
Empire, the apostle seeks to prepare his field of action, and pave his way thither. 
A Christian Church had been in existence in Rome for some years, and it was 
of the first importance to secure its sympathy and support. — Sabatier: 
Apostle Paul, p. 188. 

FREED FROM CONDEMNATION AND DEATH AND MADE SONS OF 
GOD THROUGH FAITH. 

§530. Meaning of the Term "Justification." The word justification, it 
must be borne in mind, is a strictly forensic term, and carries along with it the 
associated ideas of law, condemnation, and acquittal. It had its origin in the 
Jewish conviction that the destiny of mankind was to be determined strictly by 
their compliance or non-compliance with the published law of God. It was in 
combating this conviction that the Apostle Paul, in his Epistles to the Romans 
and Galatians, elaborated the doctrine of justification, by setting forth faith in 
Christ crucified as the only, and the divinely appointed, method of salvation for all 
men. The doctrine conceives man to be amenable to law, and to have justly 
incurred its penalty from which Christ alone can procure his release and vindi- 
cate his right to be absolved. — Robinson : Christian Theology, p. 297. 

§ 531. No Condemnation. The Scriptural Doctrine of Justification. 

Justification, so far as it is conceived of as a juridical act, rests beyond doubt, ex- 
clusively on the procuring efficacy of what Christ has wrought for us. In ourselves 
alone, every one of us is guilty and hopelessly condemned; in Christ, through 
faith in him, sin is blotted out for us both as a power and penalty. Thus it is 
Christ alone that saves us; our justification is solely on his account; metaphori- 
cally expressed, his righteousness is imputed to us, and through faith in him and 
in his sacrifice of himself for us, we are accounted righteous; but the literal fact 
is, that our relation to him as a living personal Saviour imparts to us a new reli- 
gious life and a personal righteousness, without which salvation is impossible, 
and which in reality are the constituent elements of the salvation itself. Christ 
alone has conquered sin; and by bearing its penalty, death, <ind triumphing over 
it, has acquired the power of conferring a like victory upon all who, through 
loving trust in him as their personal Saviour, will receive it at his hands. — 
Robinson : Christian Theology, p. 299. 

§ 532. " Abba Father." Abba is the Aramaic equivalent to the Greek pater. 
... It may have taken its rise among the Jews of Palestine after they had 



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become acquainted with the Greek language. In this case it is simply an expres- 
sion of importunate entreaty, illustrating the natural mode of emphasizing by 
repetition of the same idea in different forms. This latter explanation seems sim- 
pler, and best explains the expression as coming from our Lord's lips. . . . This 
phrase is a speaking testimony to that fusion of Jew and Greek which prepared 
the way for the preaching of the gospel to the heathen. — Lightfoot ; Galatians, 
p. 268. 

§ 533. The Sonship of Believers. [The Spirit itself beareth witness with 
our spirit, that we are the children of God.] The testimony of our own spirit is 
borne in that cry of conscious sonship, " Abba, Father; " but we are not therein 
alone; for the Holy Ghost within us, yea, even in that very cry which it is His to 
draw forth, sets His own distinct seal to ours; and thus, "in the mouth of two 
witnesses " the thing is established. The apostle had before called us "sons of 
God," referring to our adoption : here the word changes to " children," referring 
to our new birth. The one expresses the dignity to which we are admitted ; the 
other the neiv life which we receive. The latter is more suitable here; because a 
son by adoption might not be heir of the property, whereas a son by birth cer- 
tainly is, and this is what the apostle is now coming to. — Jamieson-Fausset- 
Brown : Commentary, vol. i, Romans, p. 241. 

RECEIVING THE HELP OF THE SPIRIT AND MADE MORE THAN 
CONQUERORS THROUGH CHRIST. 

§ 534. "Work of Redemption. " Whom God hath justified, them hath He 
also glorified." In these words the apostle puts together justification and blessed- 
ness. But justification, sanctification, and redemption are finely connected in 
their internal concatenation. . . . 

The essential power of this community of life between redeemed persons and 
the Redeemer, consists in the Holy Ghost. The origination of a state of grace in 
faith and justification, its continuance and growth in sanctification, its consumma- 
tion in the glorification of the body — all is conditioned by . . . faith; . . . 
prayer; renewal and holiness of walk; future quickening of the body. — Lechler : 
Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times, vol. ii, pp. 69, 71. 

§ 535. The Help of the Spirit. Then, in the same way, the Spirit also — as 
well as " the hope " — helps, as with a clasping, supporting hand, our weakness, 
our shortness and bewilderment of insight, our feebleness of faith. For what 
we should pray for as we ought, we do not know; but the Spirit Itself interposes 
to intercede for us, with groanings unutterable; but . . . the Searcher of our 
hearts knows what is the mind, the purport, of the Spirit; because God-wise, with 
divine insight and sympathy, the Spirit with the Father, He intercedes for saints. 

Did He not so intercede for Paul, and in him, fourteen years before these words 
were written, when the man thrice asked that " the thorn " might be removed, and 
the Master gave him a better blessing, the victorious overshadowing power? Did 
He not so intercede for Monica, and in her, when she sought with prayers and 
tears to keep her rebellious Augustine by her, and the Lord let him fly from her 
side — to Italy, to Ambrose, and so to conversion? 

But the strain rises now, finally and fully, into the rest and triumph of faith. 
" We know not what we should pray for as we ought"; and the blessed Spirit 
meets this deep need in His own way. And this, with all else that we have in 
Christ, reminds us of a somewhat that " we know " indeed; namely, that all things, 
favourable or not in themselves, concur in blessing for the saints. And then he 
looks backward (or rather, upward) into eternity, and sees the throne, and the 
King with His sovereign will, and the lines of perfect and infallible plan and 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 28. 165 

provision which stretch from that Centre- to infinity. These " saints," who are 
they? From one view-point, they are simply sinners who have seen themselves, 
and " fled for refuge to the " one possible " hope "; a " hope set before " every 
soul that cares to win it. From another view-point, that of the eternal Mind and 
Order, they are those whom, for reasons infinitely wise and just, but wholly hidden 
in Himself, the Lord has chosen to be His own forever, so that His choice takes 
effect in their conversion, their acceptance, their spiritual transformation, and their 
glory. There, as regards this great passage, the thought rests and ceases — in the 
glorification of the saints. — Monte : Romans, pp. 233, 234. 

§ 536. More than Conquerors through Christ. " What shall we then say 
to these things?" . . . Firm in his own revealed conviction, he has urged upon 
the conviction of the world, and fixed in the conviction of Christians for ever, the 
deepest truths of the Gospel entrusted to his charge. What remains but to give 
full utterance to his sense of exultation in spite of earthly sufferings, and " to 
reduce doubt to absurdity " by a series of rapid, eager, triumphant questions, 
which force on the minds of his hearers but one irresistible answer? In spite of all 
the anguish that persecution can inflict, in spite of all the struggles that the rebel- 
lious flesh may cause, " we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. 
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created 
thing, shall be able to separate us for a moment from God's love manifested 
towards us in Christ Jesus our Lord." In spite of failure, in spite of imperfection, 
our life is united with the life of Christ, our spirit quickened by the Spirit of 
Christ, and what have we to fear if all time, and all space, and all nature, and all 
the angels of heaven, and all the demons of hell, are utterly powerless to do us 
harm? — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 490, 491. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 537. Christ our Refuge. There is no safety, holiness or abiding happiness 
outside of Christ; no safety to him who is under condemnation, no holiness 
without Christ's righteousness, no happiness to him whose end is death. 

§ 538. The Relation of Justification to Sanctification. Justification is 
followed by sanctification. The former is an instantaneous act, the latter is a life- 
long process. The foundation of justification is the atoning death of Christ; the 
living spring of sanctification is the indwelling in the human heart of the Holy 
Spirit. 

§ 539- The Assurance of Faith. To the soul who is resting on the prom- 
ises of God the words, "all things work together for good," are a statement of a 
living creed. Such a soul appropriates to himself God's truth and lives in har- 
mony with his divine purpose. 

§ 540. Foreknowledge and Foreordination. The sequence of events, 
resulting from a man's choice in life, is in no way changed by the fact that God 
knows the end from the beginning. Man's choice is as free before as afterwards, 
and cannot be affected by such knowledge. The end of both foreknowledge and 
foreordination is Christian character. 

§541. The "Called" of God. The doctrine known as "Calling and Elec- 
tion," considered from any point of view involves difficulties that cannot be satis- 
factorily solved with the light we now have. The vital consideration, however, for 
every one who hears the call of God, is not to stop and debate whether or not he 



1 66 The Bible Study Manual. 

belongs to the elect. Remembering that it is God's wish that none should perish 
but that all should come to a knowledge of the truth, his first duty is to obey, and 
thereby insure to himself an entrance to the feast of divine love. 

§ 542. Security of the Believer. By a series of questions, covering all 
possible contingencies, the apostle enumerates the possible circumstances that 
might separate the believer from Christ. Each is proven unavailing, and in a 
paean of rejoicing Paul concludes his demonstration, to the satisfaction of Chris- 
tians of all time, of the fact of Christ's power to save. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The Third Phase of the Jewish Controversy as Presented in the 
EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS : Bruce, St. Paul's Conception of Christianity, pp. 93, 94. 
2. Authenticity of the Closing Chapters of Romans: Cambridge Bible, 
Romans, Int., pp. 27-29. 3. Paralells between the Epistle to the 
Romans and the Epistle to the Galatians : Ibid., p. 29ft 4. The Condi- 
tion of the Pagan World as Pictured in Romans, Ch. i : Abbott, Commen- 
tary, Romans, pp. 42-51 ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, ch. 1. 5. ST. Peter's 
Connection with Rome: Moule, Epistle to the Romans, p. 17, note; Farrar, 
Early Days of Christianity, ch. 6. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 29. -PAUL'S KETUM TO JERUSALEM. The Close of 
the Third Missionary Journey. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 543. Design of the Lesson. To follow Paul in his return from Corinth 
to Jerusalem at the close of the third missionary journey ; to indicate the charac- 
ter of his missionary work as seen in his farewell to the Ephesian elders, and to 
show his heroic spirit in his determination to go up to Jerusalem notwithstanding 
the repeated and inspired warnings that bonds and imprisonment awaited him 
there. 

§544. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Briefly review Paul's 
route on his third missionary journey, from Ephesus through his second tour in 
Greece and back to Troas as given in Lesson 26 (see Map No. 12 in Quarterlies), 
mentioning the places visited by him and the epistles written while on the journey. 

(2) Make a detailed study of his experiences at Troas, Miletus, Tyre and 
Caesarea; and note that as he advanced on his journey the forebodings of disas- 
trous experiences at Jerusalem became more and more explicit, and yet that, no 
matter what he believed that the future might have in store for him, he never 
swerved for a moment from what he felt to be the path of divinely appointed 
duty. 

(3) Notice that the fact of chief historical interest in connection with Paul's 
stay at Troas is the mention of the first day of the week as a time of Christian 
worship, and the light that this throws on the transition from the Jewish to the 
Christian sabbath. 

(4) Point out, in connection with Paul's address at Miletus, that his missionary 
work at Ephesus and doubtless in all other places as well, was intensely direct and 
personal; that he not only preached to men in the mass, declaring unto them the 
whole counsel of God, but sought, by going from house to house, to come into 
loving contact with them individually; and that, having won them to the truth, 
he watched over them day and night with tears of sympathy and solicitude. 

167 



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(5) Observe the deep interest in Paul and the anxiety for his welfare shown by 
the Christians at every point in his journey, and that this interest and anxiety 
seemed to culminate at Csesarea where, with entreaties and tears, his friends sought 
to dissuade him from his course. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PAUL AGAIN AT TROAS. 

(For the connection of the narrative, see Library Extracts, §497, Lesson 26.) 

§ 545. Paul's Stay at Troas. [On] Saturday the 8th of April [Paul" arrived 
at Troas]. . . . [There] he rejoined Timothy and the brethren, from whom he 
had separated at Corinth. Paul remained here a week and a day, that is, until 
Sunday, the 1 6th of April, the Christian sabbath, a sojourn the more remarkable, 
as we know that the Apostle was pressed for time. He had been obliged through 
the plot of the Jews to adopt a circuitous route, and he was now making all haste 
upon his road, so as " if possible " to reach Jerusalem before the feast of Pente- 
cost, which would fall on the 17th of May. Perhaps the church planted at Troas 
on his former visit, when he was flying from Ephesus, might now from some 
peculiar circumstances imperatively require his presence. The delay, however, 
may have arisen from the mere necessity of attending upon the movements of the 
vessel. Troas was a city of considerable consequence, and the ship may either 
have unloaded there or taken a cargo on board, or adverse winds may have pre- 
vented her from sailing. — Letvin : St. Paul, pp. 75-77. 

(For a description of Troas, see Conybeare and Howson: St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 205, 206.) 

§ 546. Paul's Last Day at Troas. The labours of the early days of the 
week that was spent at Troas are not related to us; but concerning the last day we 
have a narrative that enters into details with all the minuteness of one of the Gospel 
histories. It was the evening which succeeded the Jewish Sabbath. On the Sunday 
morning the vessel was about to sail. The Christians of Troas were gathered 
together at this solemn time to celebrate that feast of love which the last command- 
ment of Christ has enjoined on all His followers. The place was an upper room, 
with a recess or balcony projecting over the street or the court. The night was 
dark : three weeks had not elapsed since the Passover, and the moon only 
appeared as a faint crescent in the early part of the night. Many lamps were 
burning in the room where the congregation was assembled. The place was hot 
and crowded. St. Paul, with the feeling strongly impressed on his mind that the 
next day was the day of his departure, and that souls might be lost by delay, was 
continuing in earnest discourse, and prolonging it even to midnight ; when an 
occurrence suddenly took place, which filled the assembly with alarm. ... A 
young listener, whose name was Eutychus, was overcome by exhaustion, heat, and 
weariness, and sank into a deep slumber. He was seated or leaning in the bal- 
cony; and, falling down in his sleep, was dashed upon the pavement below, and 
was taken up dead. Confusion and terror followed, with loud lamentation. But 
Paul was enabled to imitate the power of that Master whose doctrine he was 
preaching . . . [and restored] the dead to life. 

With minds solemnized and filled with thankfulness by this wonderful token of 
God's power and love, they celebrated the Eucharist feast. The act of Holy 
Communion was combined, as was usual in the Apostolic age, with a common 
meal : and St. Paul now took some refreshment after the protracted labour of the 
evening, and then continued his conversation till the dawning of the day. — 
Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 206-208. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2Q. 169 

§ 547. The Miracle of the Apostle. By some critics it is supposed that 
Eutychus was not dead, that he was merely taken up /or dead, and that Paul, with 
clearer discernment, perceived that he was only stunned. The answer of Alford 
to this view seems to me conclusive: "The youth falls, and is taken up dead; so 
much is plainly asserted. Paul, not a physician, but an apostle, gifted, not with 
medical discernment, but with miraculous power, goes down to him, falls on him 
and embraces him, a strange proceeding for one bent on discovering suspended 
animation, but not so for one who bore in mind the action of Elijah and Elisha, 
each time over a dead body ; and having done this, not before, he bids them not 
to be troubled, for his life was in him. I would ask any unbiased reader, taking 
these details into consideration, which of the two is the natural interpretation — 
and whether there can be any reasonable doubt that the intent of duke is to relate 
a miracle of raising the dead, and that he mentions falling on and embracing him 
as the outward significant means taken by the apostle to that end ? " Add to this 
that there is no significance apparent in the incident, and no reason for the narra- 
tive, if it be not a miracle — the only one, I believe, in the N. T. performed within 
the church, or at night, or without the attestation of unbelievers to its reality. — 
Abbott: Commentary, Acts, p. 219. 

§ 548. Origin of the Observance of the First Day of the Week as the 
Christian Sabbath. (1) [Acts 20: 7 and] 1 Cor. 16: 2, are distinct proofs that 
the Church had already begun to observe the weekly festival of the Resurrection 
in place of, or, where the disciples were Jews, in addition to, the weekly Sabbath. 
It lies in the nature of the case that those who were slaves, or freed-men still in 
service under heathen masters, could not transfer to it the rigid abstinence from 
labour which characterized the Jewish Sabbath. And on this day they met 
together, obviously in the evening, after sunset, to " break bread." — Plumptre : 
In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 333. 

(2) It seems to have been the practice of the early Christians from a very early 
period to meet in commemoration of the resurrection. Gradually this Christian 
day supplanted the Sabbath, though, for a time, both days were observed. The 
Jews demanded that the Gentile Christians should observe the Jewish Sabbath, a 
demand to which Paul told them not to accede (Col. 2 : 16). The Christian weekly 
festival was called the Lord's Day (Rev. I : 10) ; Sunday is a later title of heathen 
origin, being equivalent to Day of the Sun. There is no direct authority in the 
N. T. for any change of the day from the seventh to the first, except such as may 
be deduced from the apostolic practice. — Abbott: Commentary, Acts, pp. 2iSb, 
219a. 

(3) The introduction of the [Christian] Sabbath was not only in harmony with 
Christian feeling, but, as we have good reason to believe, was sanctioned and 
prompted by the special authority of the apostles. " It is in the highest degree 
probable," says Meyer, " that the observance of the Sabbath rests upon apostolic 
institution; since the gospel was extended among the heathen who had not been 
accustomed to the Jewish Sabbath, it was natural and necessary that the apostles 
should instruct them in regard to such a day, on account of the importance of the 
resurrection of Christ; and this supposition is an indispensable one, in order to 
account for the very early and general celebration of the Christian Sabbath." — 
Hackett : Commentary, Acts, p. 251. 

§ 549. Manner of Observing the Christian Sabbath. If three or four 
brief texts were blotted out of the New Testament, it would be quite possible to 
argue from silence merely that the apostles and their immediate followers did not 
observe the Lord's Day in any way whatsoever, and that the custom of stated 
worship and solemn eucharistic celebrations on that day were a corruption intro* 



1 70 The Bible Study Manual. 

duced in post-apostolic times. . . . The Acts of the Apostles tells us very little 
about it, simply because there is but little occasion to mention what must have 
seemed to St. Luke one of the commonest and best-known facts. But Justin 
Martyr some eighty years later . . . writes thus on this topic : " Upon the day 
called Sunday all who live in cities or in the country gather together unto one 
place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, 
as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally 
instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise 
together and pray, and as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and 
wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and 
thanksgivings according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; 
and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks 
have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. 
. . . Sunday on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first 
day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made 
the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead.'' — 
Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 394-397. 

FROM TKOAS TO MILETUS. 

§ 550. From Troas to Assos. [At the conclusion of the all-night meeting 
in Troas] the ship was about to sail, and the companions of Paul's journey took 
their departure to go on board. It was arranged, however, that the Apostle 
himself should join the vessel at Assos, which was only about twenty miles distant 
by the direct road, while the voyage round Cape Lectum was nearly twice as far. 
He thus secured a few more precious hours with his converts at Troas. . . . 

But the time came when Paul too must depart. The vessel might arrive at 
Assos before him; and, whatever influence he might have with the seamen, he 
could not count on any long delay. He hastened, therefore, through the southern 
gate, past the hot springs, and through the oak woods, — then in full foliage, — 
which cover all that shore with greenness and shade, and across the wild water- 
courses on the western side of Ida. Such is the scenery which now surrounds the 
traveller on his way from Troas to Assos. The great difference then was, that 
there was a good Roman road, which made St. Paul's solitary journey both more 
safe and more rapid than it could have been now. We have seldom had occasion 
to think of the Apostle in the hours of his solitude. But such hours must have 
been sought and cherished by one whose strength was drawn from communion 
with Cod. . . . And strength and peace were surely sought and obtained by the 
Apostle from the Redeemer, as he pursued his lonely road that Sunday afternoon 
in spring, among the oak woods and the streams of Ida. — Conybeare and ' How son : 
St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 208, 209. 

§551. From Assos to Miletus; the Ephesian Elders Summoned. 

St. Paul . . . joined the ship at Assos, and after three days' coasting voyage landed 
at Miletus on Wednesday, whence he despatched a messenger summoning the 
elders of the Church of Ephesus to meet him. The ship was evidently to make a 
delay of several days at Miletus. We conclude this from the following reason. 
Miletus is a town separated by a distance of thirty miles from Ephesus. A space 
therefore of at least two days would be required in order to secure the presence of 
the Ephesian elders. ... It is very possible that the sermon recorded in this 
twentieth of Acts was delivered on the Sabbath, which . . . was as yet kept 
sacred by Christians as well as by Jews, or else upon the Lord's Day, when, as 
upon that day week at Troas, the elders of Ephesus had assembled with the 
Christians of Miletus in order to commemorate the Lord's resurrection. — Stokes r 
Acts, vol. ii, p. 405. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 2Q. 171 

PAUL AT MILETUS. HIS FAREWELL, TO THE EPHESIAN ELDERS. 

§ 552. Paul's Address to the Ephesian Elders. Some critics have found 
fault with St. Paul's sermon as being quite too much taken up with himself and 
his own vindication. . . . The truth of the gospel was then associated in the 
closest manner with St. Paul's own personal character and teaching. The Apostle 
was just then assailed all over the Christian world wherever he laboured, and even 
sometimes where he was only known by name, with the most frightful charges ; 
ambition, pride, covetousness, deceit, lying, all these things and much more were 
imputed to him. ... St. Paul therefore, foreseeing future dangers, warned the 
shepherds of the flock at Ephesus against the machinations of his enemies, who 
always began their preliminary operations by making attacks on St. Paul's charac- 
ter. This sufficiently explains the apologetic tone of St. Paul's address, of which 
we have doubtless merely a brief and condensed abstract. . . . [This address] 
may be divided into four portions. The first part is retrospective, and autobio- 
graphical; the second is prospective, and sets forth his conception of his future 
course; the third is hortatory, expounding the dangers threatening the Ephesian 
Church; and the fourth is valedictory. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 406, 407. 

§553. The Farewell at Miletus. After [Paul's words to the elders], which 
so well describe the unwearied thoroughness, the deep humility, the perfect ten- 
derness, of his Apostolic ministry, he knelt down with them all, and prayed. 
They were overpowered with the touching solemnity of the scene. He ended his 
prayer amidst a burst of weeping, and as they bade him farewell — anxious for his 
future, anxious for their own — they each laid their heads on his neck, and passion- 
ately kissed him, pained above all at his remark that never again should they 
gaze, as they had gazed so often, on the dear face of the teacher who had borne 
so much for their sakes, and whom they loved so well. If Paul inspired intense 
hatreds, yet, with all disadvantages of person, he also inspired intense affection. 
He had — to use the strong expression of St. Luke — to tear himself from them. 
Sadly, and with many forebodings, they went down with him to the vessel, which 
was by this time awaiting him; . . . and with heavy hearts the Elders of Ephesus 
turned away to face once more . . . the trials that awaited them in the city of 
Artemis. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 517. 

FROM MILETUS TO JERUSALEM. 

§ 554. From Miletus to Tyre. [On the journey from Miletus] the wind 
was favourable, and the vessel the same day reached Cos, the garden of the Egean. 
The chief town, which was of the same name, lay on the eastern shore. On 
Tuesday, the 25th of April, they arrived at Rhodes. This city was delightfully 
situate at the western extremity of the island, on an eminence overlooking the 
famous port. As Paul entered the harbour he must have gazed with curiosity on 
the greatest of the seven wonders of the world, the huge Colossus, the mighty 
effort of Chares the Lindian, once towering 105 feet into the air, then prostrate in 
the dust. It was of brass, and had been erected in the third century B.C., and, 
after having stood for fifty years, the astonishment of the approaching mariner, 
was thrown to the ground by an earthquake. The legs only as high as the knees 
retained their upright posture, while the rest of the gigantic mass lay extended 
along the margin of the port. . . . 

The following day, Wednesday, the 26th of April, Paul and his company sailed 
to Patara, the port of Xanthus, the capital of Lycia. ... At Patara, fortunately, 
Paul and his company found a merchantman bound direct for Tyre, and thence to 
Acre. The ship in which he had arrived either stopped at Patara, or intended 



172 The Bible Study Manual 

sailing along the coast of Pamphylia and Cilicia. The good luck of meeting with 
a passage at once to Tyre would not only enable him to reach Jerusalem in time 
for the feast on the 17th of May, but would even place several surplus days at his 
disposal. On Thursday, the 27th of April, they set sail from Patara, and . . 
would arrive at Tyre on Sunday, the 30th of April. — Lewin : St. Paul, pp. 97-99 
101. 

§ 555. From Tyre to Caesarea. Paul and his comrades remained at Tyre a 
week, and at the end of that time he had so established himself in the affections of 
the brethren, whether his own converts or not, that with their wives and children 
they accompanied him out of the city down to the beach. They might never see 
him again, for here also it was announced to the Apostle that Jerusalem would be 
the scene of danger. Paul and the brethren knelt down together upon the sea 
shore and offered up a fervent prayer, and then, with a warm embrace, parted from 
each other. Paul embarked on board the vessel, and the Tyrians returned to 
their homes. 

The ship sailed on Monday the 8th of May, and the same day arrived at Ptole- 
mais, or Acre. Here closed the sea voyage of the Apostle — either the vessel did 
not sail any farther, or a land journey to Jerusalem from this point was more con- 
venient. ... A church had been planted at Acre, and Paul and his companions 
were evidently acquainted with the members of it, for Luke remarks that " we 
saluted the brethren and abode with them one day." Caesarea was forty-four 
miles, or two days' journey from Acre, and on Wednesday the 10th of May they 
reached Csesarea. — Lewin : St. Paul, pp. 104, 106. 

§556. The Sojourn at Csesarea; Predictions of Paul's Captivity. 

(1) Paul and his companions proceeded from Ptolemais to Csesarea by land, . . . 
[and went] to the house of Philip the evangelist, being one of the seven. This 
was Philip whose evangelistic labours in Samaria were already recorded. We 
were informed that he went to Caesarea; and now in this city, twenty years after- 
wards, he is visited by Paul. . . . The [four] daughters of Philip, influenced by 
the spirit of prophecy, foretold the sufferings which awaited the apostle at Jerusa- 
lem. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 264, 265. 

(2) [Paul was at Caesarea long enough] for the tidings of his arrival to reach 
Jerusalem, and for Agabus to come down in consequence. He took Paul's girdle, 
and bound his own hands and feet. ... It is interesting to note the revival of 
the old prophetic manner of predicting by symbolic acts. . . . Foreseeing the 
danger to which the Apostle would be exposed, [he] came down to Caesarea, in a 
spirit of friendly anxiety, to warn him not to come. The feeling which led to 
the murderous plot of chap. 23: 12 could be no secret to a prophet living at 
Jerusalem. 

For the first time the courage even of the Apostle's companions began to fail, 
and St, Luke admits that he himself had joined in the entreaty. Could not they, 
who were less known, and therefore in less danger, go up [to Jerusalem] without 
him, pay over the fund that had been collected among the Gentiles to St. James 
and the elders, and return to him at Caesarea? . . . They besought him, it will be 
noted, even with tears. . . . 

[Then Paul said] What mean ye weeping and breaking [mine heart] ? The 
intense sensitiveness of St. Paul's nature shows itself in every syllable. . . . He 
adhered to his purpose, but it was as with a broken heart. . . . [The reply of 
Paul's companions] the will of the Lord be done . . . [is] the natural expression 
of resignation to what was seen to be inevitable, possibly used as a quotation 
from the prayer which the Lord had taught the disciples, and which He had used 
Himself. — Plwnptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 351, 352, 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 2Q. 1 73 

§557. The Journey to Jerusalem. Never had he [Paul] gone to Jerusa- 
lem without a heart full of emotion, — neither in those early years, when he came 
an enthusiastic boy from Tarsus to the school of Gamaliel, — nor on his return 
from Damascus, after the greatest change that could have passed over an inquisi- 
tor's mind, — nor when he went with Barnabas from Antioch to the council, which 
was to decide an anxious controversy. Now he had much new experience of the 
insidious progress of error, and of the sinfulness even of the converted. Yet his 
trust in God did not depend on the faithfulness of man; and he went to Jerusa- 
lem calmly and resolutely, though doubtful of his reception among the Christian 
brethren, and not knowing what would happen on the morrow. — Conybeare and 
Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 236. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 558. The Significance of the Christian Sabbath. Every Christian 
sabbath is a memorial of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is " the Lord's 
day " (Rev. I : 10), and should be welcomed with joy and gladness, not only as 
affording release from the burdens and perplexities of the week, but as giving 
opportunity for the cultivation of that spiritual life which comes to us only through 
the stupendous event which the Christian sabbath commemorates. 

§ 559. The Importance of Personal and Individual Work for Christ. 
In Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders, note the emphasis placed by him 
on his face to face work with men for Christ. This is the most difficult of all 
religious work, but it is the most profitable. A prime requisite for it is an intense 
conviction of the reality of those things concerning which we seek to persuade 
men. One who only half believes in the ruinous consequences of sin, and the 
need and greatness of the salvation provided through Christ, or who has not 
himself had a convincing experience of these things, is in no position to convince 
others. 

§ 560. Paul's Firmness in the Path of Duty. Note that in all the warn- 
ings which came to Paul on the way to Jerusalem, while the Spirit revealed what 
lay before him, the Spirit did not forbid his going there, as formerly he had for- 
bidden his going into Bithynia (Acts 16:6, 7), but left him free to follow what 
course seemed best to him. Paul's heroic firmness under such circumstances in 
directing his way toward Jerusalem was not obstinacy, but an absolute surrender 
of himself to duty, that is due-ty, that which in the highest sense, is due from man 
to God. There is no heroism so great as self-surrender to God's will, without 
regard to consequences. 

§ 561. The Blessedness of Giving. The idea of giving is too often 
restricted to the bestowment of money. Such giving may be only a form of self- 
ishness, a desire to escape from that higher form of giving which is even more 
effective, the giving of one's self, — time, strength, personal sympathy, comfort, 
help. The life from which these things go forth is rich, noble, and joyous com- 
pared with the life that merely receives them. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. TROAS: Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 205, 206. 
2. Analysis of Paul's Address before the Ephesian Elders: Cambridge 
Bible, Acts, pp. 274-283 ; Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, pp. 454-462. 3. 
Warnings Given the Apostle against Going up to Jerusalem: Butler's 
Bible-Work, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 150, 151. 



1 74 The Bible Study Manuals 

Lesson 30.- EEVIEW OP PAET III: LESSONS 14- 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 562. Design of the Lesson. Read carefully what is said in § 247, Lesson 
13, regarding the objects of a Review. The statements made there apply with 
equal force to this lesson. 

§563. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read also §248, in 
Lesson 13, and apply the same to this lesson. 

(2) Request the class to be prepared to state the contents of the Introductory 
Note to Part III in the Quarterly (see Lesson 14), and also of the Introductory 
Note to this lesson. The former gives the leading characteristics of the Period 
covered by Part III, and the latter gives a summary of the entire history covered 
by the lessons in this Part, all of which should be carefully studied. 

(3) If necessary, apportion these notes among the scholars to state their con- 
tents, and ask the others to make any additions that may be necessary to bring 
out all the facts referred to. Either by such statements or by question and answer 
bring clearly before the class a general survey of the ground covered during this 
quarter. 

(4) Request each one of your pupils to prepare, and bring into class, complete 
itineraries of each of Paul's three missionary journeys, that is, lists of all the 
places visited by him and brief references to the leading events at each. Such 
itineraries should present substantially the following forms : 

FIRST JOURNEY. 

I. The Outward Journey. (1) Antioch in Syria: Barnabas and Saul 
sent forth, accompanied by Mark. (2) Seleucia. (3) Salamis in Cyprus. (4) 
Paphos : Sergius Paulus converted; Saul's name changed to Paul. (5) Perga in 
Pamphylia : Mark returns. (6) Antioch of Pisidia : Church established; per- 
secution. (7) Iconium : Church established; persecution. (8) Lystra : Cripple 
healed; Paul and Barnabas worshiped and stoned; church established. (9) 
Derbe : Church established. 

II. The Return Journey. (10) Derbe. (n) Lystra. (12) Iconium. 
(13) Antioch of Pisidia. (14) Perga: Gospel preached. (15) Attalia. (16) 
Seleucia. (17) Antioch in Syria. 

SECOND JOURNEY. 

I. The Outward Journey. (1) Antioch in Syria: Paul and Silas set 
forth. (2) Syria and Cilicia. (3) Derbe. (4) Lystra : Joined by Timothy. 
(5) " The cities'": Doubtless Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia. (6) Troas : 
Joined by Luke ; Macedonian call. (7) Samothrace. (8) Neapolis. (9) Phi- 
lippi : Conversion of Lydia and the jailer; church established. (10) Amphipolis. 
(11) Appolonia. (12) Thcssalonica : Church established; persecution; Paul 
and Silas sent away by night. (13) Bercea : Church established; renewed per- 
secution. (14) Athens: Preaching on Mars' Hill. (15) Corinth: Remained 
eighteen months; church established; I and 2 Thessalonians, and (?) Galatians, 
written. 



Map, St. Paul's Journeys, 



*75 




176 The Bible Study Manual. 

II. The Return Journey. (16) Ephesus. (17) Ccesarea. (18) Jeru- 
salem. (19) Antioch. 

THIRD JOURNEY. 

I. The Outward Journey. (1) Antioch. (2) Galatia. (3) Ephesus 
Three years' ministry; church established; tumult stirred up by the silversmiths 
I Corinthians written. (4) Troas : In great anxiety about Corinthian church 
much disappointed at not meeting Titus. (5) Macedonia : Met Titus; 2 Corin 
thians written. (6) Illyricum (?). (7) Greece {Corinth*): Three months; 
Romans written; plot of the Jews. 

II. The Return Journey, with the great collection. (8) Philippi. 
(9) Troas: Eutychus restored. (10) Assos. (11) Mitylene. (12) Samos. 
(13) Miletus: Farewell address to Ephesian elders. (14) Cos. (15) Rhodes. 
(16) Patara. (17) Tyre. (18) Ptolemais. (19) Ccesarea: Implored not to 
go to Jerusalem. (20) Jerusalem. 

§564. Important Points to be Aimed at in the General Survey. (1) 

Make it a rapid survey of the entire Period covered in Lessons 14-29, showing 
that this was a period of great missionary activity, and indicating the successive 
steps of progress in the history. 

(2) Note that the time covered by the three journeys is about fourteen years. 
Each journey occupied about four years, with an interval of two years between 
the first and second. 

(3) Observe that as a result of these journeys churches were established in the 
most prominent cities and chief centers of Grseco-Roman civilization between 
Antioch in Syria and Corinth in Greece, and that this was in accordance with a 
clearly defined policy on the part of Paul. 

(4) Notice that these journeys represent the first going forth of Christians for 
the express purpose of carrying the gospel into the heathen world, and that the 
conversion of such great numbers of Gentiles led to the prolonged and wide-spread 
controversy concerning the relation of the Gentiles to the Jewish law. 

(5) Recall the successive steps in this controversy as brought out in the lessons 
in Part III, and call attention to the fact that Paul's defense of the Gentiles from 
bondage to the Mosaic law concerned not the Gentiles alone, but signified the 
expansion of Christianity from a Jewish sect into a universal religion. 



Lesson 31. -PAUL MOBBED AND ARRESTED IE JERUSALEM. 
The Failure of his Attempt to Conciliate the Jews. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 565. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul was received in Jeru- 
salem by the elders of the church; and how, in attempting, through their advice, 
to conciliate the Christian Jews, who were hostile to him because of misrepre- 
sentations of his teachings concerning the Jewish law, he not only failed of the 



Library Extracts on Lesson Ji. 177 

end contemplated, but lost his liberty, and almost his life, in the tumult that 
followed. 

§ 566. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Recall that the purpose 
of Paul's visit to Jerusalem at this time was to take thither the great offering from 
the Gentiles for the poor saints there; and that this offering was designed as a 
testimony of the appreciation of the Gentiles for the spiritual blessings that had 
come to them from the Jews, and to promote if possible a kindlier feeling in the 
Jews toward their Gentile brethren. 

(2) Notice how after his cordial reception by the church and the elders, the 
apprehensions of danger to Paul are based more on the implacable hostility of 
the Christian Jews to his conception of the gospel, than on the hatred of the 
unbelieving Jews. It was for the purpose of conciliating the former that Paul 
was urged to comply with certain ritual services in the temple. 

(3) Notice, furthermore, that this concession on Paul's part was not a surrender 
of his well-known principles; for his contention all along had been that while the 
ceremonial law was not binding on the Gentiles as a condition of salvation, the 
Jews, including himself, were at liberty to observe it as a matter of national cus- 
tom. He undoubtedly knew, indeed, that the same principle which liberated the 
Gentile from all connection with the law would ultimately liberate the Jew also, 
but so far as we know this had not been publicly asserted by him. 

(4) Show how Paul's countrymen would have murdered him, even as they had 
murdered his Master, because the revelation, by which he declared that his life 
had been changed and directed, did not correspond with their false and bigoted 
notions of what such a revelation should be. 

(5) Mark that, when Paul was on the point of being torn asunder by their 
ferocious violence, or of being assassinated through their secret plots, the same 
Roman power that had delivered Jesus into their hands to be crucified was made 
a providential instrument to rescue and protect his apostle. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL'S ATTEMPT TO CONCILIATE THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM. 

§567. Paul Arrives in Jerusalem. "When we were come to Jerusalem, 
the Brethren received us gladly." Such is St. Luke's description of the welcome 
which met the Apostle of the Gentiles on his arrival in the metropolis of Judaism. 
. . . The Apostle's spirit, which was much depressed, as we have seen, by antici- 
pations of coldness and distrust on the part of the Church at Jerusalem, must 
have been lightened by his kind reception. He seems to have spent the evening 
of his arrival with these sympathising brethren; but on the morrow, a more 
formidable ordeal awaited him. He must encounter the assembled Presbyters of 
the Church; and he might well doubt whether even the substantial proof of lov- 
ing interest in their welfare, of which he was the bearer, would overcome the 
antipathy with which (as he was fully aware) too many of them regarded him. — 
Conybeare and Hovtson : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 237. 



178 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 568. Paul and the Elders. The Offering Presented. When the morn- 
ing came, the Presbyters or Elders of the Church were called together by James, 
(who, as we have before mentioned, presided over the Church of Jerusalem), to 
receive Paul and his fellow-travellers, the messengers of the Gentile Churches. 
We have already seen how carefully St. Paul guarded himself from the possibility 
of suspicion in the administration of his trust, by causing deputies to be elected 
by the several Churches whose alms he bore, as joint trustees with himself of the 
fund collected. These deputies now entered together with him into the assembly 
of the Elders, and the offering was presented, — a proof of love from the 
Churches of the Gentiles to the mother Church, whence their spiritual blessings 
had been derived. The travellers were received with that touching symbol of 
brotherhood, the kiss of peace, which was exchanged between Christians of those 
days on every occasion of public as well as private meeting. — Conybeare and 
Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 238. 

§ 569. Proposal of the Elders. [When the presentation was over, Paul] 
told of his labors among the Gentiles. With this they were pleased, but they 
could not assure Paul that it would be so acceptable to all as it was to them. 
They called his attention to the fact that there were many thousands of believing 
Jews, but they were still zealous for the law. And these were informed that Paul 
had been teaching the Jews to disregard the law, and were consequently very 
angry at him. In other words, Paul was in danger front the Christians in Jeru- 
salem as well as from the unbelieving Jews. It was impossible that they should 
not learn of Paul's arrival; it was necessary, therefore, to take such measures as 
would prevent their doing any violence to him. There were four men at hand 
who had a vow upon them, and Paul was asked to join them in this and show 
his fidelity to the law by paying the costs which attended the completion of the 
vow. — Thatcher : Apostolic Church, p. 252. 

§570. Paul's Attempt to Conciliate the Judaizers not a Contradiction 
of his Principles. This consent of Paul to the advice of James and the 
elders has been taken by some for a contradiction of the words and character of 
the Apostle as represented in his own writings. But he has testified of himself 
that for the Gospel's sake he was made all things to all men, unto the Jews 
becoming a Jew that he might gain the Jews, for the same end, to them that 
are without law, as himself without lav/. And these brethren of the Church 
of Jerusalem to whom St. Paul joined himself were Christians, and therefore 
were not clinging to legal observances as of merit towards salvation, but as ordi- 
nances which were of divine origin, and which education had made them careful 
to observe. . . . 

Assuredly there is as much of so-called contradiction between Paul as described 
in different places by himself, as between his own description and what St. Luke 
has left us of his history. Contradiction it is not, but only such concession as 
might be expected from one strong in the faith as St. Paul was when he was 
dealing, as he was called upon to deal, with two classes of men who could never 
be brought to the same standpoint. To observe the ceremonial law was not 
needful for the Gentiles, therefore the Apostle decried its observance and opposed 
those who would have enforced it. The ceremonial law was abolished for the 
Jew also in Christ, but it had a divine warrant for those who had been trained in 
it from their youth up, therefore all that the Apostle here desired was that their 
true value only should be set on externals. He felt that time would develop 
Christian worship to fill the place which the Temple Service for a long time must 
hold among the Christians of Jerusalem. — Lumby ; In Cambridge Bible, Acts, 
pp. 295, 296. 



Library Extracts on Lesson Jl. 1 79 

§571. The Nazarite Vow, and its Fulfillment. What Paul Assumed 
in Accepting the Advice of the Elders. What did this proposal mean? It 
meant that the emancipation from the vow of the Nazarite could only take place 
at Jerusalem, and in the Temple, and that it was accompanied by offerings so 
costly that they were for a poor man impossible. A custom had therefore sprung 
up by which rich men undertook to defray the necessary expenses, and this was 
regarded as an act of charity and piety. . . . 

The person who thus defrayed the expenses was supposed so far to share the 
vow, that he was required to stay with the Nazarites during the entire week, 
which, as we gather from St. Luke, was the period which must elapse between 
the announcement to the priest of the termination of the vow, and his formal 
declaration that it had been legally completed. For a week then, St. Paul, if he 
accepted the advice of James and the presbyters, would have to live with four 
paupers in the chamber of the Temple which was set apart for this purpose; and 
then to pay for sixteen sacrificial animals and the accompanying meat offerings; 
and to stand among these Nazarites while the priest offered four he-lambs of the 
first year without blemish for burnt offerings, and four ewe-lambs of the first year 
without blemish for sin offerings, and four rams Avithout blemish for peace offer- 
ings; and then, to look on while the men's heads were being shaved and while 
they took their hair to burn it under the boiling cauldron of the peace offerings, 
and while the priest took four sodden shoulders of rams and four unleavened 
cakes out of the four baskets, and four unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and 
put them on the hands of the Nazarites, and waved them for a wave-offering 
before the Lord. . . . And he was to do all this, not only to disprove what was 
undoubtedly a calumny if taken strictly . . . but also to disprove that there was 
no truth in the reports about him, but that he also was a regular observer of the 
Law. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 524, 525. 

PAUL MOBBED AND ARRESTED. 

§ 572. The Gentiles and the Courts of the Temple. The area of the 
temple esplanade, or the so-called outer court, was [after the time of Zerubbabel] 
. . . very much enlarged, especially by Herod, so that it now formed a large 
quadrangle, its longer side being that which extended from north to south. 
Within this large square again there was an oblong quadrangular space enclosed by 
strong walls, the longer side, in this instance, running from west to east; this was 
the so-called inner court, or "the court" in the strict sense of the word. This 
court was approached by a flight of steps, and at the foot of this stair was a rail- 
ing within which no Gentile was allowed to pass. Any Gentile who ventured to 
pass this boundary and set foot within the inner court was punished with death; 
and the Roman authorities respected the scruples of the Jews in regard to this 
matter to such an extent that they sanctioned the execution of this sentence even 
in those cases in which Roman citizens had been the offenders. To this railing 
notices were attached at certain distances from each other, with the prohibition 
and the penalty for infringing it inscribed upon them in Greek and Latin. Ac- 
cording to Philo, there were keepers in his day not only at the entrances to the 
inner court, but likewise at the gates of the outer one as well, one of their princi- 
pal duties being to see that the prohibition in question was rigidly complied with. 
In addition to these there were watchmen patrolling all round by night and by 
day to make sure that nothing of an unseemly character was going on anywhere. 
— Schiirer : Jewish People, 2d Div., vol. i, pp. 265, 266. 

§ 573. The Castle Antonia. About B.C. 24, Herod built for himself fin 
Jerusalem] a royal place, upon which marble and gold were lavished with profu- 



1 80 The Bible Study Manual, 

sion. It was provided with strong fortifications, and thus was made to serve also 
as a castle for the upper city. Even during the time of Antony he had had the 
citadel north of the temple rebuilt and named Antonia in honour of his patron. . . . 
In Jerusalem there was stationed only one cohort. . . . The fort of Antonia, which 
Josephus describes as the regular quarters of the detachment, lay to the north of 
the temple. . . . Stairs led down from the fort Antonia to the court of the temple. 
This is just the position given it in the Acts of the Apostles. For when Paul, 
during the tumult in the temple, had been taken by the soldiers for his own safety 
and was being carried thence into the barracks, he was on account of the pressure 
of the crowd borne by the soldiers up the steps, and then, with the permission of 
the chiliarch, he made from these steps a speech to the people. . . . The direct 
connection between the fort and the court of the temple was of importance, since 
the latter required to be under constant supervision. At the chief feasts, guards 
were stationed in the corridors which surrounded the temple. — Sckurer : Jewish 
People, 1st Div., vol. i, pp. 433, 434, 1st Div., vol. ii, pp. 55, 56. 

§574. Occasion of the Uproar against Paul. " The Jews which were of 
Asia " [were] those who had come up [undoubtedly from Ephesus] to keep the 
Feast at Jerusalem. They, we may well believe, had been watching the Apostle 
eagerly as he passed in and out of the courts of the Temple. As it was, they 
seized him, with all the tokens of his purification still upon him, about to offer 
sacrifices, and raised a cry which" was sure to throw the whole city in an uproar. 
. . . He had brought Greeks — i.e., uncircumcised Gentiles — into the Holy 
Place — i.e., beyond the middle wall of partition which divided the court that 
was open to strangers from that which none but Jews might enter. . . . 

"Trophimus an Ephesian" [was the innocent cause of the trouble]. His face 
was naturally familiar to those who had come from the same city. They had seen 
the two [Paul and Trophimus] together in the streets, possibly near the entrance 
of the Temple, and, hatred adding wings to imagination, had taken for granted 
that St. Paul had brought his companion within the sacred enclosure. — Plumptre : 
In Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 357, 358a:. 

§575. Paul Attacked by the Mob; his Arrest. At the outcry raised by 
the fanatical Asiatic Jews, the excitement quickly spread beyond the Temple pre- 
cincts into the city itself. Paul was probably bound by the Temple authorities. 
The furious mob made a rush upon him, seized upon and drew him forth out of 
the sacred enclosure, . . . and the huge Temple gates . . . swung heavily upon 
their massive hinges under the united exertions of twenty men, for fear of further 
desecration, and that the sacred pavement might not be polluted with human 
blood. 

Driving or hurling forward their intended victim into the Court of the Gentiles, 
raining blows upon him, their intentions soon began to be manifestly murderous, 
when a sound suddenly fell upon their ears, a sound before which their uplifted 
hands dropped in terror and apprehension for themselves, when there came 
swiftly upon the air the quick disciplined tramp and the martial clang of soldiers 
in arms, marching down upon the scene of confusion by the castle steps through 
the colonnaded cloisters that formed the communication between the Temple of 
Antonia and the Gentile court of the Temple. The sentries on the watch had 
quickly observed the symptoms of brutal outrage, and news came up to the officer 
in command that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. That officer was Claudius 
Lysias. . . . He is called a Chiliarch, and had the command of nominally a thou- 
sand soldiers. . . . The Romans were armed, and the Jews were not; yet the 
stronger were to some extent afraid of the weaker; and the officer deemed it pru- 
dent to withdraw the object of this fury, and themselves as well, into a safer place. 



Library Extracts on Lesson ji. 181 

St. Paul was chained as their prisoner to two soldiers. — Malleson: St. Paul, pp. 
489-491. 

PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE THE MOB. 

§576. Paul Mistaken for the Egyptian. [Claudius Lysias was taking 
Paul] into the castle as a prisoner, to find out what the charges against him were, 
when, to his surprise, Paul spoke to him in Greek. He had thought that he was 
a certain Egyptian who not long before this had gathered together a band of four 
thousand Sicarii, or daggermen. These were most bitter opponents of everything 
that was Roman. They carried short daggers concealed under their robes, and 
managed to stab their enemies while they were surrounded by crowds, so that 
they could not be detected. . . . The governor thought that he had captured this 
leader [who had escaped] in the person of Paul. — Thatcher : Apostolic 
Church, pp. 254, 255. 

§577. Paul Addresses the People. [Paul] took his stand upon the steps 
of the castle leading down to the Temple . . . ; and opening his lips, perhaps 
equally to the surprise of the Chiliarch and of the people, he addressed the crowd 
in the Hebrew language. ... He knew how useless it would be to answer the 
charges brought against him, of teaching against the law in the Temple, and bring- 
ing Greeks into the Holy Place. He would not deliver his whole commission at 
once, and preach Christ; for he knew that "he would not be heard for another 
moment if he ventured upon a subject so offensive to their inveterate prejudices. 
. . . [Throughout his speech Acts, ch. 22] observe the studied wise avoidance of 
the name of Jesus, who is referred to, ver. 14, as "the Righteous One," — the 
very name used by St. Stephen, whose last address St. Paul seems to have had in 
mind more than once through this his last recorded address to any large body of 
Jews. . . . 

He felt that he was approaching the end of his speech as he, with marked 
decision, spoke of Stephen as a witness for Christ . . . , [and] how the Lord 
had said unto him, " Depart, for I will send thee forth far hence to the Gentiles." 
... A sudden outbreak of fury revealed the spirit which ruled his hearers. It 
was not jealousy for the honour of the Lord, it was hatred of the Gentile. . . . 
All the violence and ferocity which had seemed allayed returned with redoubled 
force and intensity, and they cried, as they cried after Jesus, as they had cried for 
the blood of St. Stephen, " Away with him ! "... A rush was made to try to 
secure their victim a second time, and put an effectual end to his hateful mission 
to the Gentiles. — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 493, 496, 499-501. 

PAUL'S APPEAL TO HIS ROMAN CITIZENSHIP. 

§ 578. Paul's Rights as a Roman his Safe-guard against Scourging. 

Claudius Lysias knew his duty better than to allow summary justice to be executed 
before his eyes. . . . Lysias therefore commanded the soldiers to bring Paul out 
of the reach of this uncontrollable rabble, and withdraw him into the barracks. 
. . . He was to be " examined " as to his life and actions, not by straightforward 
questioning and the process of examination and cross-examination familiar to the 
law-abiding Christians, but by scourging! ... for the purpose of ascertaining 
" wherefore they so shouted against him." 

The Valerian law enacted that no Roman citizen should be bound or slain with- 
out sufficient cause. . . . But notwithstanding these safeguards, St. Paul was 
committed to the rough hands of the soldiery, who bowed his back and were 
stretching his limbs preparatory to receiving the cruel lashes, when Paul [said] 



182 The Bible Study Manual. 

..." Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? " 
. . . Immediately the centurion was aware of the danger they were incurring, he 
went to his chief, who had left the work of examination to a subordinate, and 
said to him, "Take heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman." . . . The 
commander came to Paul at once, and . . . hastened, as far as he could, to repair 
his error by speedily sending away the executioners and proceeding to a more 
regular course of trial before the assembled powers of the Sanhedrim, which he 
caused to be summoned together on the following day. — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 
501-503; see also Library Extracts, Lesson 18, § 347. 



PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 579. The Real Value of a Gift. The great gift of the Gentile churches 
to the poor saints in Jerusalem was not only a beautiful recognition of the obliga- 
tions imposed by their new sense of Christian brotherhood, but a most appro- 
priate expression of their gratitude and love. The real value of a gift, whether 
large or small, lies in the spirit that prompts it. 

§ 580. The Bitter and the Sweet in Life. Notwithstanding Paul's heroism 
in going up to Jerusalem in face of all the warnings that had come to him, he 
must have felt greatly depressed and anxious as to his reception as the representa- 
tive of the Gentiles, and the success of his mission as a mediator for them. The 
cordial and sympathetic spirit with which the church greeted him doubtless 
cheered his heart, and strengthened him to bear the ordeal of the following days. 
In the experiences of our lives God mingles the sweet with the bitter, that we may 
not be enfeebled and satiated by the one, nor discouraged and broken by the 
other. 

§581. Concessions for the Sake of Peace. In acceding to the advice of 
the elders Paul's conscience remained clear, for he was not violating any principle 
of the gospel. So long as matters in controversy touch only personal views or 
conveniences, every possible concession should be made to the weaknesses and 
prejudices of others. But when principles are at stake, concessions are out of 
place. In refusing to make concessions, however, it is necessary to discriminate 
between loyalty to truth and personal obstinacy. 

§ 582. Conscience as a Guide. Paul was as conscientious in his persecution 
of the church as, after his conversion, he was in upbuilding it. No man should 
ever violate his conscience. But in thus erecting conscience into the supreme 
arbiter of conduct it should never be forgotten that conscience itself needs 
enlightenment. He who conscientiously does wrong, is condemned, not for obey- 
ing conscience, but for suffering his conscience to remain darkened when light is 
within his reach. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Claudius Lysias, the Chiliarch : Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. 
ii, p. 135 ; Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., " Lysias," p. 1704. 2. The Egyptian False 
Prophet and his Overthrow : Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 
125, 126. 3. Variations in Paul's Several Accounts of his Conversion: 
Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, pp. 498, 499. 4. ROMAN CITIZENSHIP AND 
ITS Privileges: Abbott, Commentary, Acts, p. 232; Olshausen, Commentary, Acts, 
p. 547 ; Ency. Brit., vol. xx, Art., " Roman Law," p. 704a. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson J2. 1 83 

Lesson 32. -PAUL'S TEIAL BEPOKE THE SANHEDKItf. 
His Eescne from the Jews, and Transfer to Caesarea. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 583. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul, when brought before the 
Sanhedrin, avoided an immediate sentence by dividing the council against itself; 
and how the disappointment caused thereby among his enemies, who had hoped 
that the court would condemn him to death, resulted in a conspiracy against his 
life, from which he was rescued by being suddenly taken to Caesarea. 

§584. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Gather what informa- 
tion is at hand concerning the composition, authority, and place of meeting of the 
Sanhedrin; and note that at this time it was subject to the Roman commander in 
Jerusalem who summoned it, as he would a company of soldiers, in order that he 
might have Paul tried before it. 

(2) Recall the irreconcilable differences of belief between the Pharisees and 
Sadducees; the implacable hostility between these two great parties, both of which 
were strong in the Sanhedrin; and the infamous character of the high priest 
Ananias, by whose command Paul, at the very beginning of his trial, was smitten 
on the mouth. 

(3) Call attention to the fact that Paul perceived at once that he could not 
expect a fair hearing from such a court, presided over by such a judge, they 
having assembled not to try but to condemn him; and that there was no escape 
for him except by winning the favor of the Pharisees through an appeal to their 
religious prejudices against the Sadducees. 

(4) Show that while this availed to defer his condemnation temporarily, it only 
exasperated Paul's enemies the more that he should have so easily escaped from 
their deadly grip, and that it determined them to take measures against him from 
which they thought that there could be no possible escape. 

(5) Observe, now, how God overrules all the malice of the wicked; how the 
plot is overheard and revealed to Paul and Lysias; how the Roman government 
becomes a bulwark of defense around God's servant; how Paul is removed in 
safety from a city out of which, but for this powerful protection, he could hardly 
have escaped with his life, and how in the transfer to Caesarea the first step is 
taken toward the fulfillment of the divine promise that he should preach the 
gospel in Rome. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL'S TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN. 

§ 585. The Sanhedrin Summoned. Paul on Trial. Claudius Lysias the 
Chiliarch was perplexed, and could not well decide what was best to be done with 
his prisoner, of whose alleged guilt he knew nothing. . . . The plan which com- 
mends itself best to his judgment is to call together the famous Council . . . , the 
Sanhedrin, which in the declining state of national power, he, a heathen ruler, 



184 



The Bible Study Manual. 



had authority to call, for he commanded its assembling just as he commanded his 
soldiers, and was as promptly obeyed. . . . 

Hither St. Paul was brought unfettered, free to speak his whole mind. The 
chief captain stood near, not as in the speech on the castle stairs, an unintelligent 
hearer, but a listener, though for a very short space, to an address in the Greek 
language, which was used chiefly on his account. No other Roman was near; 
but many martial figures appeared on the frowning battlements of the massive 
tower which overshadowed the Temple precincts as the symbol of departed 
-sovereignty. 

What a strange scene lay before Paul ! not one friendly, sympathizing counte- 
nance to encourage him; but at the higher end of the hall, the forms and harsh 
countenances of many men, not all strange to him; for had he not [probably] 
sat on those benches himself as a judge whence he now looked for sentence upon 
himself? — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 505, 506. 

§ 586. The Sanhedrin : its Composition and Place of Meeting. The 

Sanhedrim was the judicial body of seventy-two (commonly called the seventy), 
consisting first of twenty-four Chief Priests, being the heads of the twenty-four 
courses, and of twenty-four Elders, the representatives of the Jewish laity, and 
lastly of twenty-four Scribes or Doctors, the advisers of the assembly on questions 
of law. The Sanhedrim had originally sat in Gazith, an apartment in the inner 
temple, but as the Roman Emperors had granted the boon that whatever heathen 
passed the sacred limits might be instantly put to death, it was afterwards found 
unsafe to permit deliberations where the Romans themselves could not exercise 
a surveillance. According to tradition, the Sanhedrim ceased to hold their sessions 
in the Temple about twenty-eight years before the period of which we are speak- 
ing. They then moved down to the council-room, just without the Temple, and 
adjoining the western cloister on the site of the present Mehkimeh or Town Hall. 
Hither, on the 24th of May, the Chief Priests and Elders and Scribes were con- 
voked [for the trial of Paul]. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 149. 

On the Sanhedrin, its history, composition, jurisdiction, and judicial procedure, see Library 
Extracts, § 56, Lesson 4. On its meeting-place, see § 88, Lesson 5. On the attitude of the Sad- 
ducees and Pharisees toward the churches, and on their beliefs, see §§ 85, 86, Lesson 4. 




Plan of seats, etc., in the Sanhedrin. 



The Sanhedrin sat in a semi-circle. The presi- 
dent sat in the center of the half-circle, at the place 
marked A, and the other members in the order of 
their rank, the first one at his right hand, the next 
at his left, and so on. There were two scribes 
B, C, one to record verdicts of guilty, and the 
other, verdicts of acquittal. The prisoner stood 
somewhere within or in front of the semi-circle, in 
sight of all, perhaps at or near D. 



§ 587. Ananias, the High Priest. Ananias, the High Priest, . . . [was] 
artful and designing, ostentatious of piety amongst the common people, yet guilty 
of the vilest practices, possessed of unbounded wealth dishonestly acquired, and 
by constantly pandering to the base avarice of the Roman Procurator, Felix, con- 
triving to screen his iniquity from the arm of the law. The means employed by 
him for his aggrandisement are almost incredible for their enormity. He had in 
his pay a band of ruffians, who, when the harvest was ready, seized by force the 
tithes devoted to the use of the inferior priests, and if any resistance was made, 
the obstinacy of the tithe-payer was punished by blows. This impious example 
was soon copied by others in the priesthood, and the Jewish historian relates that 



Library Extracts on Lesson 32. 185 

many of God's holy ministers died of actual starvation, from their accustomed 
provision being thus violently intercepted. Ananias meanwhile was living in the 
midst of luxury in his princely palace in the Upper City, and the cry of justice 
was raised in vain at the gates of the Praetorium. . . . 

At the commencement of the Jewish war, he and his party, being overpowered 
by the opposite faction, retreated to the Upper City. The enemy followed, and 
the palace of Ananias was burnt over his head. He fled into the Prsetorium, the 
palace of Herod, to which siege was laid, and in a few days it was stormed. 
Ananias concealed himself in an aqueduct in the pleasure-grounds of the Proe- 
torium, where the Sicarri or assassins soon discovered him, and dragging him 
forth from his lurking place, dispatched him with their poniards. — Lewin : St. 
Paul, vol. ii, pp. 135, 136, 149. 

§ 588. Paul before the Sanhedrin. Lysias led his prisoner [in] and placed 
him before them. The Nasi, or President, was, as usual, the High Priest. The 
preliminary questions were asked, and then Paul, fixing on the assembly his 
"•earnest gaze, began his defence with the words, " Brethren, my public life has 
been spent in all good conscience towards God till this day." Something in 
these words jarred particularly on the mind of the High Priest. He may have 
disliked the use of the term "brethren," an address which implied a certain 
amount of equality. . . . The bold assertion of perfect innocence further irritated 
the presiding Nasi, and he may have felt, somewhat painfully, that his own public 
life had not by any means been in all good conscience either towards God or 
towards man. . . . 

Scarcely had the Apostle uttered the first sentence of his defence when, with 
disgraceful illegality, Ananias ordered the officers of the court to smite him on the 
mouth. Stung by an insult so flagrant, an outrage so undeserved, the naturally 
choleric temperament of Paul flamed into that sudden sense of anger which ought 
to be controlled, but which can hardly be wanting in a truly noble character. . . . 
Smarting from the blow, " God shall smite thee," he exclaimed, " thou white- 
washed wall! What! Dost thou sit there judging me according to the Law, 
and in violation of law biddest me to be smitten?" . . . The bystanders seem 
to have been startled by the boldness of St. Paul's rebuke, for they said to 
him, " Dost thou revile the High Priest of God? " The Apostle's anger had ex- 
pended itself in that one outburst, and he instantly apologised with exquisite 
urbanity and self-control. " I did not know," he said, " brethren, that he is" the 
High Priest; " adding that, had he known this, he would not have addressed to 
him the opprobrious name of " whited wall," because he reverenced and acted 
upon the rule of Scripture, " Thou shalt not speak ill of a ruler of thy people." 
... In a crowded assembly he had not noticed who the speaker was. Owing to 
his weakened sight, all that he saw before him was a blurred white figure issuing 
a brutal order, and to this person, who in his external whiteness and inward 
worthlessness thus reminded him of a plastered wall of a sepulchre, he had 
addressed his indignant denunciation. That he should retract it on learning the 
hallowed position of the delinquent, was in accordance with that high breeding of 
the perfect gentleman which in all his demeanor he habitually displayed. — 
Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 538-541. 

§ 589. Smiting on the Mouth an Eastern Custom. This mode of enjoin- 
ing silence is practised in the East at the present day. " As soon as the ambas- 
sador came," says a traveller in Persia, " he punished the principal offenders by 
causing them to be beaten before him; and those who had spoken their minds too 
freely, he smote upon the mouth with a shoe." — Hackett : Commentary, Acts, 
p. 281. 



1 86 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 590. Paul, and " The Hope of the Resurrection." Seeing that, while 
his enemies were so excited, a calm defense was useless, and in fact impossible, 
he took the course of that wisdom, which, so long as it serves simply as a means 
to a higher end, and conflicts not with truth, is not only allowed, but even enjoined 
(comp. Mt. 10: 16). He presented the weighty doctrine of the resurrection of 
the dead as the issue. Thus he cast a firebrand into the assembly, composed as it 
was of Sadducees (with Ananias as their head), and Pharisees, and drew the 
stronger party, at least for the moment, to his side. Of course be conceived the 
resurrection of the pious in general as intimately connected with, and resting 
upon, the resurrection of Jesus, which last, in fact, is expressly designated by 
Festus as the grand point of controversy. 

It has been said that this stratagem was a dishonest evasion of the point in 
dispute. The specific accusation against him was, to be sure, that of blasphem- 
ing the law, the people, and the temple. But this was, in reality, only a negative 
expression for his energetic faith in Christ as the author of a new creation, through 
whom the old was passing away and all was becoming new. This was his sole 
crime. But what, in Paul's view, is the foundation of this faith? What is pre- 
eminently the basis of this conviction of the divinity of Christianity? Manifestly 
the fact of the resurrection, through which a new principle of life was introduced 
into humanity. Hence the apostles styled themselves emphatically, " witnesses of 
the resurrection," and it was for their testimony respecting this, that they were first 
persecuted, while the Sadducees were in power in the high council. , . . 

The Pharisees actually gave ... a testimony to the innocence of the apostle, 
which the simple love of truth and justice would never have drawn from them: 
" We find no evil in this man." They granted, also, that a spirit or an angel may 
have appeared to him on the way to Damascus. But this was all. They would 
not consent to acknowledge that spirit to have been the Messiah. At last, this 
party strife growing more and more violent and threatening the life of the apostle 
.... Lysias drew him away, and brought him back to the castle of Antonia. — 
Schaff : Apostolic Church, pp. 311, 312. 

PAUL'S RESCUE FROM ASSASSINATION AND TRANSFER TO C^ESAREA. 

§ 591. Paul Cheered by the Lord. (1) Paul passed the night in the castle, 
and during his slumbers the Lord stood by him and said, " Be of good cheer, 
Paul, for as thou hast testified of me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also 
at Rome." — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 152. 

(2) By these few words, the Lord assured him of a safe issue from his present 
troubles ; of an accomplishment of his intention of visiting Rome ; of the cer- 
tainty that however he might be sent thither, he should preach the gospel, and 
bear testimony there. So that they upheld and comforted him in the uncertainty 
of his life from the Jews; in the uncertainty of his liberation from prison at 
Ccesarea ; in the uncertainty of his surviving the storm in the Mediterranean ; 
in the uncertainty of his fate on arriving at Rome. So may one crumb of divine 
grace and help be multiplied to feed five thousand wants and anxieties. — Alford : 
Greek Testament, vol. ii, Acts, p. 255. 

§ 592. Plot to Assassinate the Apostle. The dawn of the next day sufficed 
to prove that his manoeuvre in the Sanhedrin had only won a temporary success 
at the cost of a deeper exasperation. So unquenchable was the fury against him, 
and so inflamed was the feeling of disappointment that Lysias should have 
snatched him away from their revenge, that in the morning no less than forty Jews 
bound themselves with a terrible cherem not to eat or drink till they had killed 
him. . . . These forty sicarii went, not only without a blush, but with an evident 



Library Extracts on Lesson 32. 187 

sense of merit, to the hostile section of the Sanhedrin, to suggest to them the 
concoction of a lie for the facilitation of a murder. . . . "Do you then, and the 
Sanhedrin, give notice to the commandant to bring him down to you, under 
pretext of a more accurate inquiry into his case. We, before he gets near you, 
are prepared to slay him." . . . These degenerate Jews and worldly priests agreed 
to it with avidity. But a secret known to forty conspirators, and requiring the 
complicity of an indefinite number more, is no secret at all. — Farrar : St. Paul, 
PP- 543. 544- 

§ 593- The Plot Revealed to Lysias. Paul had a nephew in Jerusalem, 
who, in some way or other, got wind of this bloody conspiracy, and knowing that 
there was no time to be lost, went to the castle, and gained admission to see the 
prisoner, his uncle. As soon as Paul heard the story, he beckoned to the guard 
and said, "Take this young man to Captain Lysias. He has something to tell 
him." Lysias was anxious to learn anything that would clear up this extraordinary 
case. When the guard introduced Paul's nephew as one whom Paul had sent 
with a message, the captain took the young man's hand in his and drew him aside, 
where they could talk together without being overheard, and asked him what he 
had to say. The young man told him the whole story, — how the conspirators 
had taken an oath to kill his uncle; how the priests had fallen in with the plot, 
and were ready to help it on; and how they were waiting, at that very moment, 
to see the captain, and make their arrangements to have Paul brought down. 
That was enough for Lysias. He knew what desperate men he had to deal 
with. He dismissed his informant, reminding him that a close mouth, just then, 
was of the utmost necessity. — Taylor : Life of Paul, pp. 296, 297. 

§ 594. Paul Transferred to Caesarea. At nine o'clock in the evening, all 
the preparations having been made during the afternoon, while the shadows were 
deepening, and the darkness was settling down upon country and city, the rattling 
of horses' hoofs might have been heard in the court of the castle. Paul was sent 
to Coesarea under military escort. He was a Roman, and Roman law would 
protect him from conspiracy and murder. Nearly five hundred soldiers, cavalry 
and infantry, marched out at the lower gate of the Castle of Antonia that night, 
Thursday, May 25, A.D. 58, with Paul the missionary mounted in the centre of the 
troop, and hurrying out of Jerusalem, passed rapidly up the highway across the 
country toward the Roman capital. In the morning they reached Antipatris, 
where they made but a brief halt. Leaving part of the soldiers to return to Jeru- 
salem, the cavalry pushed on, and arrived at Cassarea, probably that evening. 
Paul was taken directly to Felix, the governor of the province, and the letter of 
explanation from Captain Lysias was presented. 

Felix read the letter, and then inquired what province the prisoner was from. 
Learning that he was a native of Cilicia, he said to Paul: "I will hear your 
defence when your accusers also have come," and gave orders that he be kept in 
some part of that magnificent Herodian palace or castle in which the governor 
himself resided. — Taylor : Life of Paul, pp. 297, 298. 

§ 595. Letter of Claudius Lysias to Felix. It would seem . . . that Lysias 
wished to convey the impression that Paul's citizenship was the cause of his 
rescuing him, whereas he did not know this until afterwards. Du Bois thinks that 
the tribune here alludes to the second rescue, when he stood before the Sanhe- 
drim; but this is opposed to Acts 23 : 28; where it is stated that after the rescue 
Lysias brought him before the Sanhedrim. . . . Others think that the tribune 
intentionally told a falsehood in order to make his conduct appear more praise- 
worthy. He wished to conceal the fault he had committed in ordering a Roman 
citizen to be scourged, and misrepresented the circumstances of the case for his 



1 88 The Bible Study Manual. 

own advantage. Probably, however, we have only an instance of mere negli- 
gence in composition, and not any wilful falsehood. All that the tribune wished 
to say was, that he had taken special precautions for the safety of his prisoner, 
because he had learned that he was a Roman. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. 
"> PP. 325> 326. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 596. The Condemnatory Power of a Righteous Life upon a Wicked 
Life. Paul's claim that he had lived righteously, and with a clear conscience, stung 
the corrupt and infamous high priest to the quick. A declaration of innocence 
in his presence was intolerable as it called up his own wicked life, and therefore 
must be silenced. There is an instinctive recoil between purity and impurity, 
innocency and guilt, holiness and sin. 

§ 597. Rebuking the Wicked. Paul's prophetic rebuke of the high priest 
was such as might be expected from a man of quick and powerful convictions of 
right and wrong. Wickedness should be rebuked. Justice demands it. At the 
same time Paul's courteous apology for having unknowingly rebuked the high 
priest, shows that even this right should be exercised with due regard for other 
considerations. 

§ 598. Trust in God and the Use of Means. In Paul's trial before the 
Sanhedrin, where there was no chance of justice, he skilfully used the prejudices 
of the stronger party to save his life. To have attempted a formal defense before 
such an assembly would have been to throw away his life. God had decreed his 
deliverance, indeed, but he expected him, as under like circumstances he expects 
us, to use all legitimate means to that end. 

§ 599. Providence in Human Life. In looking back over the history of 
Paul's life, it is not difficult to see the hand of the Lord in all that must at the 
time have seemed mysterious leading. And yet it all led to his preaching at Rome, 
— the consummation of his life-work. But it is equally true that there is a guiding 
hand in the life of the humblest of God's children and whether we realize it or 
not, that which may seem to us to be failure may contribute as much as our 
apparent success to the advancement of his kingdom on the earth. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Paul's Answer Regarding the High Priest (vs. 5) : Gloag, Commen- 
tary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 307-310 ; Alford, Greek Testament, vol. ii, Acts, p. 253^. 2. THE 
Cherem, or Vow; Absolution from its Obligations: Gloag, Commentary, 
Acts, vol. ii, p. 319. 3. Paul's Escort to Cesarea: /did., pp. 322,323. 4. Paul 
a Pharisee: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 429.. 5. Visions of the Apostle ; 
Occasion and Purpose : Cony be are and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. 
ii, p. 263 ; Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, p. 514. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 33— PAUL'S TRIAL BEFORE PELIX. The Two Tears of 

Imprisonment in Osesarea. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 600. Design of the Lesson. To show the immediate consequences of Paul's 
transfer to Caesarea, as seen in the failure of his accusers to establish their charges 
against him, and in his continued imprisonment owing to the mercenary character 
of Felix. 

§ 601. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Gather all available 
information concerning the character of Felix, his administration as procurator of 
Judea, and his relation to Drusilla. 

(2) Consider the number and nature of the charges presented by Tertullus 
against Paul, and how the high priest and the elders sought to strengthen the 
prosecution, not by the presentation of competent witnesses, but by their own 
vehement and unsupported affirmations. 

(3) Observe carefully Paul's reply to the charges preferred against him — his 
frank admission of the second charge, which in a Roman court involved no guilt; 
his unqualified denial of the other two charges; his detailed account of his conduct 
during his brief stay in Jerusalem, which could be tested by investigation; and his 
notice of the fact that his enemies had brought no witnesses to prove their charges 
against him. 

(4) Note the reasons given by Felix for deferring his verdict, and that he seems 
to have taken no measures to bring Paul's case to a definite issue. 

(5) In view of the personal character of Felix and Drusilla, note the bold 
conscientiousness, and yet admirable tact, of the apostle, in addressing them on 
the subjects he did in such manner as to give no occasion for anger, but much for 
the awakening of conscience. 

(6) Show why Paul was not liberated by Felix, and how this easy confinement, 
which on the face of it seemed to be a great hardship, may after all have been of 
personal advantage to the apostle, exhausted and broken as he must have been by 
long and unremitting toil and sufferings. 

189 



1 90 The Bible Study Manual, 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL BEFORE FELIX. THE ACCUSATIONS. 

§ 602. The Character and Administration of Felix. Felix is elsewhere 
known to us from the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus. . . . He was 
the brother of Pallas, the favourite and minister of the Emperors Claudius and 
Nero; and was originally a freedman of the Empress Antonia, the mother of 
Claudius, from whom he received the name Antonius. According to Tacitus, he 
was the governor of Samaria when Cumanus was procurator of Judea (A.D. 48). 
. . . On the deposition of Cumanus, he was, chiefly by the influence of the high 
priest Jonathan, appointed procurator of Judea, in the twelfth year of the reign of 
Claudius, A.D. 52, and was continued in his procuratorship by Nero through the 
influence of his brother Pallas. 

His character and government are thus succinctly described by Tacitus: "he 
exercised the authority of a king with the spirit of a slave; " and again he says of 
him, "Relying on such powerful protection (namely, the influence of his brother 
Pallas), he supposed he might perpetrate with impunity every kind of villany." 
. . . He certainly displayed considerable vigour in clearing the country of robbers, 
and putting down rebellions; but he was cruel, tyrannical, and avaricious in his 
government. One of his worst actions was to employ the Sicarii to murder the 
high priest Jonathan, to whom he was partly indebted for his procuratorship, 
who had excited his displeasure by advising him to be more moderate in his 
government. 

According to Suetonius, he was the husband of three queens : one of them was 
Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I; a second, as we learn from Tacitus, 
was the granddaughter of Antony and Cleopatra, the niece of the Empress 
Antonia, and the full cousin of Claudius; the third is unknown. After ruling 
over Judea for the comparatively long period of seven or eight years, he was 
recalled by Nero, and succeeded by Festus, A.D. 60. Josephus informs us that, 
after his recall, the Jewish inhabitants of Csesarea sent a deputation after him to 
Rome to accuse him before the emperor, and that he would certainly have been 
punished for his misgovernment had he not been protected by Pallas, who at this 
time was in high favour with the court. — Gloag : Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 
3 2 3> 3 2 4. 

§ 603. Drusilla, Wife of Felix. She was not really his wife, having been 
seduced from her husband Azizus, prince of Emesa, [who had become a Jew for 
her sake], by Felix, through the intervention of the Cyprian sorcerer Simon. She 
was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and sister of Agrippa II. She had been at 
the age of six years betrothed to Antiochus Epiphanes, prince of Comagene, but 
his refusal to submit to circumcision and become a Jew, prevented the marriage. 
While living . . . with Felix, she bore him a son, Agrippa; both mother and son 
perished in the eruption of Vesuvius in the reign of Titus. — Abbott : Commentary, 
Acts, pp. 239^, 24.o<2. 

§ 604. Paul and his Accusers before Felix. Lysias [after having sent Paul 
away] communicated to the Sanhedrim that the case was remitted to the Procu- 
rator, and that they must make their accusations before Felix at Csesarea. The 
wise precautionary measures of Lysias were, no doubt, a bitter disappointment to 
the persecuting faction; however, Paul had been removed, and to Csesarea they 
must follow him. Ananias, with revenge rankling in his heart for the affront he 
had received in the presence of the Sanhedrim, set out from the Roman capital, 
accompanied by the elders. The arrogant High Priest was no spokesman, or at 
least not in any other language than his native Hebrew; and he, therefore, took 



Library Extracts on Lesson jj. 191 

with him an eminent advocate at Jerusalem, called Tertullus, who could speak 
Greek with fluency and was well acquainted with the forms of Roman pro- 
cedure. . . . 

One part of Ananias's proceedings may be regarded with suspicion. He did 
not think it necessary to secure the presence of the most material witnesses. The 
Ephesian Jews, who had begun the uproar in the Temple, and should have been 
forthcoming, were studiously kept out of the way. On the fifth day after Paul's 
arrival, or May 30th, (an interval of twelve clear days having elapsed since the 
Pentecost), Ananias and his party being ready with their indictment, took their 
station in the Procurator's Court, or Judgment Hall, of the Pnetorium. Felix 
entered, and having occupied his tribunal on the Gabbatha or raised platform, 
commanded the prisoner to be brought, and Paul was conducted into court. — 
Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 156, 157. 

§605. Tertullus, the Lawyer. (1) Nothing is known of him except the 
mention here. His name indicates that he was a Roman. The proceedings may 
have been either in the Greek or the Latin language. . . . Paid advocates were 
employed both in the Greek and the Roman courts, and in criminal actions both 
for the prosecution and the defence. The time of the speaker was limited by the 
court. Both parties were usually allowed to make two speeches, the complainant 
beginning, the defendant following, the complainant replying, and the defendant 
closing the case. As a general rule the accused, even when his case was con- 
ducted by a paid advocate, was expected to address the court himself, for the 
judges liked to form an opinion of him from his voice, look, and demeanor. The 
description of Tertullus here as an orator indicates that he was a paid advocate. 
It was common for young Roman lawyers to qualify themselves for practice in the 
Roman couns by provincial practice. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 237a. 

(2) Tertullus began by judiciously applying the only compliment he was able to 
pay Felix without absolute contempt for the truth. " By thee, O Felix, we . . . 
enjoy great quietness; and by thy remarkable providence and foresight, evils are 
corrected for this nation." . . . All this fulsome flattery seems very much like 
veiled bribery. No doubt Felix hoped it was. — Malleson: St. Paul, pp. 525, 526. 

§ 606. The Charges against Paul Presented by Tertullus. The accusa- 
tion against Paul is threefold; he is charged (1) with causing factious disturbances 
among the Jews throughout the whole Roman empire, an offence distinctively 
recognized and punished with death by the Roman law; (2) with being a ring- 
leader of the heretical sect of Nazarenes, a name applied to the Jews in derision, 
but occurring in the N. T. only here; this was charged, not as against Roman law, 
but as against the law of Moses; (3) with an attempt to profane the Temple at 
Jerusalem, an offence against both Roman and Jewish law, since the former 
protected the Jews in the exercise of their worship. 

The object of Tertullus, however, appears to be, not the condemnation and 
punishment of Paul by Felix, but his surrender to the Jewish authorities for trial. 
He therefore proceeds to misstate the facts respecting Paul's rescue. Paul was 
assailed by a mob, and would have been slain without trial but for the intervention 
of Lysias; Tertullus represents him as arrested legally, and taken from the hands 
of the Jewish authorities by the despotic act of the chief-captain. It should, 
however, be added, that the whole of vs. 7 and part of vs. 8 are of doubtful 
authority [they are omitted from the R. V.]. . . . But while external evidence is 
conflicting, internal evidence is in favor of their retention. Tertullus refers to no 
witnesses; the accusers to whom he refers in vs. 8 are the deputation from the 
Sanhedrim, who have no direct personal knowledge of the matter; the Asiatic 
Jews who rirst accused Paul of profaning the Temple have not been brought up to 



192 The Bible Study Manual. 

Caesarea, perhaps because their testimony would tend rather for Paul than against 
him. Of this fatal omission on the part of the prosecution Paul wisely avails 
himself in his defence. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, pp. 237^, 238a. 

PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE FELIX. 

§ 607. Paul's Answer to the Accusations of Tertullus. Then the Pro- 
curator, already impatient with the conviction that this was, as Lysias had informed 
him, some Jewish squabble about Mosaic minutiae, flung a haughty nod to the 
prisoner, in intimation that he might speak. St. Paul's captalio benevolently was 
very different from that of Tertullus. It consisted simply in the perfectly true 
remark that he could defend himself all the more cheerfully before Felix from the 
knowledge that he had now been Procurator for an unusual time, and could 
therefore, from his familiarity with Jewish affairs, easily ascertain that it was but 
twelve days since the Pentecost, to which feast he had come, not only with no 
seditious purpose, but actually to worship in Jerusalem; and that during that time 
he had discoursed with no one, and had on no occasion attracted any crowd, or 
caused any disturbance, whether in the Temple or in the Synagogues, or in any 
part of the city. 

He, therefore, met the first and third counts of the indictment with a positive 
contradiction, and challenged the Jews to produce any witnesses in confirmation 
of them. As to the second count, he was quite ready to admit that he belonged 
to what they called a sect; but it was no more an illegal sect than those to which 
they themselves belonged, since he worshipped the God whom, as a Jew, he had 
always been taught to worship — frankly accepted their entire Scriptures — and 
believed, exactly as the majority of themselves did, in a resurrection of the just 
and the unjust. In this faith it had always been his aim to have a conscience void 
of offence towards God and towards man. He had now been five years absent from 
Jerusalem, and on returning with alms for the poor of his people, and offerings for 
the Temple, they found him in the Temple, a quiet and legally purified wor- 
shipper. For the riot which had ensued he was not responsible. It had been 
stirred up by certain Asiatic Jews, who ought to have been present as witnesses, 
and whose absence was a proof of the weakness of the case against him. But if 
their attendance could not be secured, he called upon his accusers themselves to 
state the result of their trial of him before the Sanhedrin, and whether they had a 
single fact against him, unless it were his exclamation as he stood before them, 
that he was being tried about a question of the resurrection of the dead. — 
Farrar : St. Paul, pp„ 548, 549. 

THE DECISION DEFERRED BY FELIX. 

§ 608. The Immediate Result of the Trial. There was all the appearance 
of truthfulness in St. Paul's words : and they harmonised entirely with the state- 
ment contained in the dispatch of Claudius Lysias. Moreover, Felix had resided 
so long at Caesarea, where the Christian religion had been known for many years, 
and had penetrated even among the troops, that he had a more accurate knowl- 
edge of their religion than to be easily deceived by the misrepresentations of the 
Jews. Thus a strong impression was made on the mind of this wicked man. 
But ... he could not make up his mind to acquit St. Paul. He deferred all 
inquiry into the case for the present. " When Lysias comes down," he said, " I 
will decide finally between you." Meanwhile he placed him under the charge of 
the centurion who had brought him to Caesarea, with directions that he should be 
treated with kindness and consideration. Close confinement was indeed necessary, 
both to keep him in safety from the Jews, and because he was not yet acquitted: 
but orders were given that he should have every relaxation which could be allowed 



Libraiy Extracts on Lesson Jj. 193 

in such a case, and that any friends of his should be allowed to visit him, and to 
minister to his comfort. We read nothing, however, of Lysias coming to Qesarea, 
or of any further judicial proceedings. — Conybeare and Howson ; St. Paul, vol. ii, 
pp. 2S5, 286. 

§ 609. Paul before Felix and Drusilla. Felix shortly after this [the trial] 
left Caesarea himself, and when he returned, was accompanied by his wife Drusilla 
— the beautiful Drusilla, the daughter of Agrippa. . . . The Procurator had not 
long arrived, when he expressed a desire to hear Paul again. The Apostle's 
earnest and eloquent defence had left apparently a strong impression upon the 
mind of Felix, who was at least shrewd enough to appreciate talent. . . . There 
may besides have been, on the part of Drusilla, a natural curiosity to see the man 
whose name from her infancy had been so rife among her countrymen. Felix, at 
all events, sent for his prisoner, not, it seems into the judgment hall, but into the 
private apartments of the palace, and desired from him an exposition of the 
Christian faith. 

A storm of conflicting feelings must have swept across the Apostle's breast at 
the scene before him. There sat Felix, old enough in years but older in his 
vices. . . . At his side was Drusilla, the fairest of the daughters of Israel, and 
now in the height of her charms, at the age of twenty, the scion of a royal line 
and yet living the spouse of a fortunate freedman. The oppressive exactions of 
the Procurator, his private debauchery, his utter disregard of the laws, his cold- 
hearted unfeeling abduction of another's wife were thoughts that forced themselves 
upon the Apostle's mind as he discoursed upon Christianity, and, unawed by the 
exalted station and his auditors, he expatiated freely upon Justice and Continence 
and the Judgment to come — "Felix trembled." The truths struck home, and 
the despot, lost in the reverie of the moment, saw himself in the gulf of perdition; 
he could bear no more, and commanded Paul from his presence, exclaiming, " Go 
thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee." — 
Leunn: St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 161, 162. 

§ 610. The Motive of Felix in Keeping Paul Confined. Paul had indeed 
acquired over him [Felix] some of that ascendency which could hardly fail to be 
won by so lofty a personality; and Felix, struck by his bearing, his genius, his 
moral force, sent for him not unfrequently to converse with him respecting his 
beliefs. But this apparent interest in religious subjects was, in reality, akin to that 
vein of superstition which made him the ready dupe of Simon Magus, and it did 
not exclude a certain hankering after a bribe, which he felt sure that Paul, who 
had brought considerable sums of money to Jerusalem, could either procure or 
give. He took care to drop hints which should leave no doubt as to his intentions. 
But Paul was innocent, and neither would he adopt any illicit method to secure 
his liberty, nor in any case would he burden the affection of his converts to Con- 
tribute the ransom which he was too poor to offer. He did not wish by dubious 
human methods to interfere with God's plan respecting him, nor to set a question- 
able example to the future libellatici. He therefore declined to take the hints of 
Felix, and two years glided away, and he was still in prison. — Farrar : St. Paul, 
pp. 550, 551. 

§611. The Recall of Felix, and the Accession of Festus. When a 
period of t:oo years was accomplished, Felix received Porcius Festus as his 
successor. . . . [During this time Paul had had] intercourse with Philip, and 
other members of the Church of Caesarea, as comforting and refreshing to 
him. . . . 

The change of administration was caused by the complaints which the Jews 
brought against Felix, and which led Nero to recall him. . . . His successor, 



194 The Bible Study Manual. 

Festus, who came to the province in A.D. 60, died in his second year of office. 
Josephus speaks of him as suppressing the outrages of the robbers who infested 
the country, and maintaining the tranquillity of the province. Felix, with char- 
acteristic baseness, sought by his latest act to court the favour of the Jews, and 
left the Apostle in prison as a set-off against the many charges which were 
brought against him. — Plumptre : In Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 387. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§612. The Peril of Disregarding Conscience. Under the searching words 
of Paul the guilty conscience of Felix was awakened. He was terrified at the 
revelation of his sin and its consequences. But instead of abandoning his sin, 
he sent away the preacher — the fatal error that thousands have made and are 
still making. 

§613. Convenient Seasons for Repentance that Never Come. A 
genuine repentance shows itself in an immediate abandonment of sin. Deferring 
the abandonment of sin to a more convenient season shows the absence of a true 
repentance, and a mere momentary terror at the ultimate consequences of sin. 
The sinner in love with his sin does not really hope for a future repentance, but 
only for an escape from the penalty of sin. 

§ 614. The Paralyzing Effect of Formal Religion. Drusilla heard the 
same solemn truths that so greatly terrified the irreligious Felix, but apparently 
was unmoved by them, probably because she was a Jewess, and had quieted her 
conscience with the external forms of a religion which had never influenced her 
life or conduct. 

§615. Avoiding even the Appearance of Evil. As Felix by his conduct 
had virtually admitted Paul's innocence and only delayed liberating him in hope 
of getting money from him or his friends, some might have been tempted, in view 
of the importance of Paul's work in the churches, to yield to the governor's mer- 
cenary disposition. Paul, on the contrary, knew that his life was in God's hands, 
and that when his services were needed he would be set at work where God 
wanted him without the use of questionable means. God never requires these for 
the advancement of his kingdom. 

§ 616. A Divine Purpose in Seeming Adversity. The long imprisonment 
at Csesarea, so unjust and apparently needless, may have seemed a real hardship to 
the eager and zealous spirit of Paul. Put it kept him in safety at a time when, if 
at liberty, he could hardly have escaped with his life; it gave him needed rest 
after fourteen years of exhausting toils and trials; it afforded quiet leisure to 
mature those rich and lofty conceptions of Christ and the church which mark the 
epistles of the imprisonment. 

" Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 
But trust him for his grace; 
Behind a frowning providence 
He hides a smiling face." 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The City of Antipatris: Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 377^. 2. Ancient 
C^ESAREA : Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 164-167. 3. THE SECT 
OF THE NAZARENES : Smith's Diet. Bib., Art., " Nazarenes " ; Handy Commentary, 
Acts, p. 380^ 4. The " Twelve Days " Since Paul's Arrival at Jerusalem : 
Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, p. 528. 5. Roman Prison Confinement: 
Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 288. 6. Paul A 
Prisoner at C^sarea: Conybeare and Howson, Ibid., pp. 287-289. 7. Possible 
Writings of the Apostle while in Prison at Cesarea: Handy Commen- 
tary, Acts, p. 387 ; Stokes, Acts of the Apostles, vol. ii, pp. 454, 455- 



Library Extracts on Lesson 34. 195 

Lesson 34. -PAUL'S TEIAL BEFOEE FESTUS, AND HIS 
DEFENSE BEFOEE AGEIPPA. The Appeal to Caesar. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§617. Design of the Lesson. To show the reasons that impelled Paul to 
appeal his case from the provincial courts to the tribunal of Caesar; also the 
reasons for the subsequent hearing before Agrippa; the effect of his address upon 
his auditors, and their verdict concerning him. 

§ 618. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Learn what you can 
respecting the leading characters in the lesson, Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice; try 
also to understand the conditions under which Roman citizens might appeal to 
Caesar. 

(2) Observe that the two years following the arrest of Paul had not diminished 
the hatred of his enemies in Jerusalem; that their first effort on the arrival of the 
new governor was to ask him to deliver Paul into their hands, their purpose being 
to assassinate him on the way. 

(3) Call attention to the reasons that probably influenced Paul in transferring 
his case from the jurisdiction of Festus, and to the real or anticipated advantages 
to him of being tried before Caesar. 

(4) Note the governor's perplexity in regard to the accusation which should 
accompany the prisoner, and his ready response to the desire of Agrippa that 
Paul might be heard, not only to satisfy thereby the curiosity of the king touching 
the noted prisoner, but if possible to secure something upon which to base the 
needed charges. 

(5) Show how Paul availed himself of the opportunity thus given, not so much 
to enter upon a personal defense of himself, as of Christianity; how his courteous 
and yet fearless appeal to the king's knowledge and conscience could only be 
escaped by an evasive and scornful reply; how Festus and Agrippaa greed that he 
had done nothing worthy of death, and how Agrippa said that but for the appeal 
to Caesar he might have been set at liberty. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL BEFORE FESTUS. HIS APPEAL TO CAESAR. 

§ 619. The Visit of Festus to Jerusalem. When a Roman governor came 
to his province . . . his first step would be to make himself acquainted with the 
habits and prevalent feelings of the people he was come to rule, and to visit such 
places as might seem to be more peculiarly associated with national interests. 
The Jews were the most remarkable people in the whole extent of the Jewish 
provinces : and no city was to any other people what Jerusalem was to the Jews. 
We are not surprised, therefore, to learn that " three days " after his arrival at the 
political metropolis, Festus " went up to Jerusalem." — Conybeare and Ilowson; 
St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 290, 



196 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 620. The Request of the Jews and the Reply of Festus. [At Jeru- 
salem, the governor's] first interview was, of course, with the High Priest. 
Agrippa had by this time suspended Ananias in the High Priesthood, and 
appointed Ishmael, the son of Fabei. We have no particulars of Ishmael's 
history, but he evidently entertained an acrimonius spirit against the Christian sect, 
for no sooner had Festus arrived at Jerusalem than Ishmael, and some of the most 
powerful of his countrymen, represented to the Procurator that a malefactor by the 
name of Paul had been left in bonds by Felix, and requested, as a personal favour, 
that he would issue an order for his execution. The answer of Festus was such 
as became an imperial Prefect, and worthy of being written in letters of gold. 
" It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before 
the accused has had his accusers face to face and has had opportunity 
to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him." 

The Jews were foiled, and they now petitioned that if legal forms must be 
complied with, the prisoner might be sent for to Jerusalem, and be put upon his 
trial without delay. Their secret object in this was to wreak their vengeance upon 
Paul, by employing the Sicarii to assassinate him on the road. Whether Festus, 
from their over-anxiety upon the subject, suspected a sinister motive, or whether, 
like Lysias, he had received express intelligence of the conspiracy, he answered 
with proper spirit, that Paul was a prisoner at Caesarea, and that he himself was 
going thither directly. " Let the chief among you, therefore," said he, " go down 
with me and accuse him, if there be any wickedness in him." — Lewin : St. Paul, 
vol. ii, pp. 170, 171. 

§ 621. The Trial Before Festus, and the Appeal to Caesar. Festus 
remained " eight or ten days " in Jerusalem, and then returned to Caesarea; and 
the accusers went down the same day. No time was lost after their arrival. The 
very next day Festus took his seat on the judicial tribunal, with his assessors near 
him, and ordered Paul to be brought before him. "The Jews who had come 
down from Jerusalem " stood round, bringing various heavy accusations against 
him (which, however, they could not establish), and clamorously asserting that he 
was worthy of death. We must not suppose that the charges now brought were 
different in substance from those urged by Tertullus. The Prosecutors were in 
fact the same now as then, namely, delegates from the Sanhedrin; and the 
prisoner was still lying under the former accusation, which had never been with- 
drawn. We see from what is said of Paul's defence that the charges were still 
classed under the same three heads as before; viz. Heresy, Sacrilege, and Treason. 

But Festus saw very plainly that St. Paul's offence was really connected with 
the religious opinions of the Jews, instead of relating, as he at first suspected, to 
some political movement; and he was soon convinced that he had done nothing 
worthy of death. Being, therefore, in perplexity, and at the same time desirous 
of ingratiating himself with the provincials, he proposed to St. Paul that he should 
go up to Jerusalem, and be tried there in his presence, or at least under his pro- 
tection. But the Apostle knew full well the danger that lurked in this proposal, 
and conscious of the rights which he possessed as a Roman citizen, he refused to 
accede to it, and said boldly to Festus : 

I stand before Caesar's tribunal, and there ought my trial to be. To the Jews I 
have done no wrong, as thou knowest full well. If I am guilty of breaking the 
law, and have done anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die : but if the 
things whereof these men accuse me are nought, no man can give me up to them. 
I appeal unto Cesar. ■ — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 291, 292. 

§ 622. The Reason for the Appeal to Caesar. [A trial before the San- 
hedrin] was practically a proposal to transfer the question back from the Roman, 



Library Extracts on Lesson 34.. 197 

to the Jewish jurisdiction. But Paul knew very well that he had far more chance 
of justice at the hands of the Romans than at the hands of Jews, whose crimes 
were now dragging Jerusalem to her destruction. Jewish tribunals had invariably 
and even savagely condemned him; Gentile tribunals — Gallio, the Politarchs, the 
Asiarchs, Lysias, Felix, P'estus, even the " Prretors," at Philippi, and at last even 
the monster Nero — always saw and proclaimed his innocence. But he was sick 
of these delays; sick of the fierce reiteration of calumnies which he had ten times 
refuted; sick of being made the bone of contention for mutual hatreds; sick of 
the arbitrary caprice of provincial governors. ... As a Roman citizen he had 
one special privilege — that right of appeal to Caesar, which was still left as the 
venerable trophy of popular triumph in the struggles of centuries. He had only 
to pronounce the word Appello, and every enemy would, for a time, be defeated, 
who was thirsting for his blood. He determined to exercise his privilege. — 
Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 554, 555. 

§ 623. The Significance of the Appeal. The Appeal Granted. The 

right of appeal from a subordinate judge to the emperor was one of the privileges 
of a Roman citizen. By the Valerian law, a Roman citizen could appeal from the 
sentence of any magistrate to the tribunes of the people; afterwards the tribunital 
power was conferred upon the emperor, so that the appeal was to him. And the 
Lex Julia strictly forbade any unnecessary impediment to be put in the way of a 
Roman citizen who had thus appealed. After such an appeal had been admitted, 
the inferior magistrate had no further power in the case : it became highly penal 
after that to proceed to extremities. Mere provincials had not this privilege, but 
were entirely subject to the jurisdiction of their respective magistrates without 
appeal. . . . These appeals were generally made in writing; but when it was done 
in the open court, it was sufficient for the accused to declare his intention of 
appealing to Coesar by uttering the single word Appello. Of course, such appeals 
could not all be heard by the emperor in person; and accordingly the Emperor 
Augustus appointed persons of consular dignity, one for each province, to hear 
them. ... 

It was the custom of the Roman governors to have a council consisting of their 
friends and other chief Romans of the province. . . . They appear merely to have 
acted as advisers in questions of difficulty. . . . The point of consultation in the 
present instance was, whether the appeal of Paul should be admitted. The 
governors of provinces were permitted to exercise a certain degree of discretion 
on this point : they were to throw no unnecessary obstacles in the way; but an 
appeal to the emperor might be disallowed if the affair did not admit of delay, or 
if the criminal were a known robber or pirate. As no reason for refusal could be 
stated in the case of Paul, his right of appeal to Ca?sar was at once conceded. 
Festus accordingly pronounced the decision of the court: "Thou hast appealed 
unto Coesar; unto Caesar shalt thou go." — Cloag: Commentary, Acts, vol. ii, pp. 

355-357- 

For the Caesar to whom Paul appealed, see Ency. Brit., vol. xvii, Art., " Nero." 

PAUL, BROUGHT BEFORE HEROD AGRIPPA II. 

§ 624. The Occasion of Agrippa's Visit to Caesarea. Only a day or two 
had elapsed after the appeal, when Agrippa II., the last of the Ilerods, and his 
sister Berenice came down to C^sarea to pay their respects to the new Procurator. 
It was a compliment which they could never safely omit, and we find that they 
paid similar visits to each Procurator in succession. The regal power of Agrippa, 
such as it was, depended on no popular support, but simply and solely on the will 
of the Emperor. As a breath had made him first king of Chalcis (A.D. 48), then 



198 The Bible Study Manual. 

of the tetrarchy of Philip (A.D. 52), and finally of various other cities (A.D. 55), 
so on any day a breath might unmake him. He was not, like his father, " the 
king of the Jews," and therefore St. Luke, with his usual accuracy in these details 
only calls him " the king; " but as he had succeeded his uncle Herod of Chalcis 
in the guardianship of the Temple, with its sacred robes, and the right of nomina- 
tions to the High-priesthood, he practically became a mere gilded instrument to 
keep order for the Romans, and it was essential for him to remain on good terms 
with them. They in their turn found it desirable to flatter the harmless vanities 
of a phantom royalty. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 556. 

§ 625. The Reasons for Paul's Appearance before Agrippa. He [Paul] 
was summoned before the king for exhibition [vs. 22] rather than for trial, for 
the appeal already allowed took the case out of the hands of the procurator, who 
could no longer render judgment either for or against the prisoner (ch. 26 : 32). . . . 

It is necessary that Festus should afford some excuse for this public exhibition 
of his prisoner; hence the explanation of vss. 26, 27. The perplexity was, how- 
ever, a real one, for the governor was required to send, in writing, with the 
prisoner, a statement of the accusation; to send Paul without such written state- 
ment, or with one of a trivial character, would subject Festus to criticism, if not to 
censure. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 243*2. 

§ 626. Paul before Agrippa. The following day Agrippa and Bernice arrived 
at the Prsetorium or palace with great pomp, and were ushered into the judgment- 
hall. Festus took his seat on the tribunal, and to do the more honour to his 
royal guests he commanded the attendance of the principal officers of the troops 
quartered at Csesarea, and of the most influential of the civil magistrates. The 
5th, loth, and 15th Legions or regiments of the line, besides five cohorts or 
auxiliary corps, with accompanying squadrons of cavalry, were usually stationed at 
Caesarea, and the gleaming armour and gay attire of the great captains of the 
Roman army of Judea with the furred gowns and flowing robes of the municipal 
authorities must have presented a most imposing spectacle, and well calculated to 
stimulate the energies of the Christian advocate. Festus now gave the order for 
the prisoner to be produced, and Paul, wearing his fetter, was ushered into court. 
— Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 175. 

PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE AGRIPPA. 

§ 627. The Nature of Paul's Defense. Paul was brought before Agrippa 
at his special request; and accordingly that king opens the proceedings by 
requesting Paul to address the audience. It is, however, to be observed that Paul 
did not on this occasion stand as a prisoner at the bar before his lawful judges: 
his appeal to Csesar had placed him beyond their jurisdiction; but he was called 
upon to give a statement of his own peculiar religious notions, and especially of 
the points of dispute between him and the Jews. — Gloag: Commentary, Acts, 
vol. ii, pp. 370, 371. 

§ 628. Paul's Defense of Christianity. True to his character Paul began 
wdth the most polite and deferential forms of address. Again he told the story of 
his life, and grew eloquent as he spoke of his Master. But Festus was unmoved. 
He saw in Paul only an old man whose head was addled by long disputing about 
trifling questions concerning the law. In the midst of Paul's address he called out 
" Paul, Paul, you are crazy," and attempted thus to end the interview. Paul knew 
that Festus was a Roman, but he hoped that he might have better success with 
Agrippa, who was a Jew. So he turned to him with an appealing question : " I 
am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness. 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 34. 199 

For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely : for I am 
persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been 
done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou 
believest." 

But Agrippa was in the presence of a Roman who was ridiculing Paul and had 
no sympathy for either Judaism or Christianity, lie did not wish to expose 
himself to the same ridicule, so he gave an evasive answer, "You think you can 
make me a Christian with little argument; " that is, " you think it will be an easy 
matter to convince me." The language is non-committal and ambiguous. Their 
meaning depends altogether on how the words were spoken. Seeing that the 
opportunity for further speech was gone, Paul called out : " I wish that all men, 
whether with little or great difficulty, were brought to be Christians as I am." 
But remembering that he Avas in chains, he quickly added in a half-playful way, 
"except that I would not wish to see them in bonds as I am." — Thatcher: 
Apostolic Church, pp. 25S, 259. 

§ 629. Result of the Examination. [Paul's reply] concluded the interview. 
King Agrippa had no desire to hear more : and he rose from his seat, with the 
Governor and Berenice and those who sat with them. As they retired, they dis- 
cussed the case with one another and agreed that Paul was guilty of nothing 
worthy of death or even imprisonment. Agrippa said positively to Festus, "This 
man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to the Emperor." 
But the appeal had been made. There was no retreat either for Festus or Paul. 
On the new Governor's part there was no wish to continue the procrastination of 
Felix; and nothing now remained but to wait for a convenient opportunity of 
sending his prisoner to Rome. — Conybeare and Ilowson : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 298. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 630. The Danger of Becoming the Victims of Violent Prejudices. 
Paul's appeal to Ca?sar showed that he expected more justice at the hands of the 
heathen, even from the monster Nero, than from his fellow-countrymen, the Jews. 
There is needed no further commentary on the power of passionate prejudices to 
blind men to all goodness and truth than the bloodthirsty cries, "Away with him," 
that greeted both Jesus and Paul. 

§ 631. Divine Compensations in Trial. Paul's arrest and long imprisonment 
were doubtless great trials to him, but they gave him opportunities of preaching 
the gospel that he might never otherwise have enjoyed, — before his enemies in 
Jerusalem; before Felix and Drusilla; and before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice 
in perhaps the most brilliant assembly that could then be gathered in Judea. 
While much seed fell by the wayside or among thorns, we may believe that 
some fell in good ground and brought forth an abundant harvest. 

§ 632. Obedience to the Heavenly Vision. In Paul who was not disobedient 
to his vision the world has gained one of its noblest heroes and greatest leaders. 
To every man is given, in some measure, a similar experience — the sudden vision 
of higher ideals, the solemn call of divine voices — and on his action in respect to 
them depends all his future. 

§ 633. Opportunities Slighted and Forever Lost. As Paul is a conspicu- 
ous example of obedience to the heavenly vision, so Agrippa stands out in history 
as one who through cowardice refused the opportunity of his lifetime, " loving the 
praise of men more than the praise of God." Doubtless a laugh from the illus- 
trious audience greeted the king's sarcastic and evasive reply, but we never hear 



200 The Bible Study Manual. 

of his being brought again face to face with salvation. The decision of that 
moment was his decision for eternity. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

i. The Character of Festus: Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, 
p. 170. 2. Luke's Accuracy in Quoting the Expression "unto my lord," 
ACTS 25:26: Meyer, Commentary, Acts, pp. 460, 461. 3. AGRIPPA AND FESTUS; 
their Relative Responsibility: Taylor, Life of Paul, pp. 313, 314; Hackett, 
Commentary, Acts, pp. 308, 310; Cambridge Bible, Acts, p. 353. 4. The Words OF 
Agrippa TO Paul: Alford, Greek Testament, vol. ii, Acts, p. 283. 5. NERO, 
Emperor of Rome : Ency. Brit, vol. xvii, Art., " Nero." 



Lesson 35. -PAUL'S VOYAGE AND SHIPWRECK. His Experiences 

on the Way to Eome. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 634. Design of the Lesson. To show the experiences of Paul during the 
voyage from Csesarea to Rome : the. many perils encountered; the practical 
wisdom of the apostle; the safe arrival in Rome, and the warm-hearted recep- 
tion accorded him by the Christians. 

§635. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) In preparing the lesson 
note that the account of the journey may be conveniently divided into thiee 
portions: from Caesarea to Fair Havens; from Fair Havens to Melita, and from 
Melita to Rome. In the class the first and third may be passed over rapidly, so 
that more time may be devoted to the account of the shipwreck itself. 

(2) Study the lesson with constant reference to the Maps in the Lessons, — - 
No. 13, for the voyage as a whole, and No. 9, for the scene of the wreck; especial 
attention is called to the Remark in connection with Map No. 9. 

(3) Follow carefully Luke's narrative of the storm and shipwreck, noting every 
detail and its significance as given in the Explanatory Notes, or in the Library 
Extracts. 

(4) Show how the sufferings and losses experienced after the departure from 
Fair Havens were directly due to the disregard of Paul's warnings; how his 
cheering words sustained his fellow-passengers when they despaired of their lives, 
and how to his alertness in frustrating the plot of the sailors all on board owed 
their safety. 

(5) Call especial attention to the minute accuracy of the narrative; how it has 
been studied and expounded by experienced navigators; how it has been confirmed 
at every point by geographical, meteorological, and archaeological considerations, 
and how competent judges have compared it to a leaf from a ship's log-book. 



Library Extracts o?i Lesson Jj. 



20I 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

THE VOYAGE AND THE STORM. 

§ 636. From Caesarea to Sidon. It was not long before a convenient oppor- 
tunity [for Paul and his companion to embark] presented itself. A merchantman 
of Adramyttium, a city of Mysia, opposite the isle of Lesbos, was making her 
homeward voyage from Egypt and touched at Caesarea. The intention at this 
time was that Paul and his party should take their passage from Adramyttium, 
and then pursue the overland route to Italy by the great Via Egnatia from Neap- 
olis through Philippi, Thessalonica, and the Macedonian towns to Dyrrhachium, 
the port for Brundisium. . . . The vessel sailed from Port Sebastus in the month 
of August, A.D. 60, and as the westerly winds generally prevail at that period of 
the year, they had a favourable breeze, and the next day ran into Sidon, a distance 
of about sixty-seven geographical miles. This maritime seat of commerce Paul 
had visited before, and must have preached the Gospel there more than once. 
He had therefore many friends in the town, and as the vessel was not to sail 
immediately, the centurion Julius . . . permitted him, chained by the wrist to a 
soldier, to call upon his Christian brethren, and receive from them those hospitali- 
ties which respect for the Apostle could not fail to elicit. — Lewtn : St. Paul, 
vol. ii, pp. 181, 183, 184. 




Map of St. Paul's Voyage to Rome. 

§ 637. From Sidon to Myra. We do not know how long a stay was made 
at Sidon, but when they sailed again, the wind, being westerly as before, was not 
favourable to the course that they would gladly have taken to Myra. To make 
good that course would have necessitated working up against a heavy sea, nearly 
in the teeth of the wind, with the risk of a catastrophe on the lee-shore, pre- 
sented by the land forming the south-west coast of Cyprus. 

Therefore the master of the ship determined to steer to the eastward of that 
island, thus obtaining less wind and smoother water, and stretched to the north- 
ward on the port tack, until obliged to put about close to the Cilician coast, after 



202 The Bible Study Manual. 

which he beat steadily but slowly towards Myra, assisted by the current which set 
to the westward, and occasionally by light northerly breezes off the shore, keeping 
near the land to be out of the strength of the foul wind. This is apparently what 
>is meant by sailing under [the lee of] Cyprus. — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 553, 554. 

§638. From Myra to Fair Havens. [At Myra] they were fortunate — or, 
as it turned out, unfortunate — enough to find a large Alexandrian wheat- ship, 
which had undergone the common fate of being driven out of the direct course 
by the same winds which had baffled the Adramyttian vessel, and which now 
intended to follow the usual alternative of creeping across the yEgean from island to 
island, northward of Crete, and so to the south of Cythera, and across to Syra- 
cuse. . . . [In this they] sailed for Cnidus, the last point at which they could 
hope for any help from the protection of the shore with its breezes and currents. 
. . . Since, however, the wind would neither suffer them to put in at Cnidus, nor 
to continue their direct voyage, which would have passed north of Crete, the only 
alternative left them was to make for Cape Salmone, at the eastern end of the 
island, and there sail under its lee. To get to Salmone was comparatively easy; 
but when they rounded it they had the utmost difficulty in creeping along the 
weather shore until they came to a piace called Fair Havens, a little to the east of 
Cape Matala, and not far from an obscure town of the name of Lasaea. — Farrar ; 
St. Paul, p. 564. 

§ 639. Bound for Port Phenice. The Gale. [At Fair Havens] we learn, 
they were detained till " navigation had become dangerous," in consequence of 
the advanced state of the season. ... It would appear that ... all hope of 
completing the voyage during the present season was abandoned, and it became a 
question whether they should winter at Fair Havens, or move the ship to Port 
Phenice, a harbour on the same side of Crete, about forty miles farther to the 
westward. St. Paul assisted at the consultation, and strongly urged them to 
remain. . . . The officers of the ship were, however, of a different opinion and 
the centurion naturally deferred to it. . . . It was determined at this consultation 
to attempt to reach Phenice [and to winter there]. 

A moderate breeze from the south having sprung up, it was considered favour- 
able for their purpose. They accordingly weighed anchor. After clearing the 
harbour, their course, till they had passed Cape Matala, was close to the land. A 
ship which could not lie nearer to the wind than seven points would just weather 
that point which bears W. by S. from the entrance of Fair Havens. We see, 
therefore, the force and propriety of the expression, — " They sailed close by 
Crete," — which the author uses to describe the first part of their passage. From 
the anchorage at Fair Havens to Cape Matala the distance is four or five miles, 
and from thence to Port Phenice the distance is thirty-four miles; and, as the 
bearing of the course is W. N. W., the south wind was as favourable as could be 
desired, being two points abaft the beam. They had every prospect, therefore, of 
reaching their destination in a few hours. Their course lay across the great 
southern bight to the west of Cape Matala. They had not proceeded far, however, 
when a sudden change in the weather took place. . . . The ship was caught in a 
typhoon, which blew with such violence that they could not face it, but were 
forced, in the first instance, to scud before it. . . . 

The sudden change from a south wind to a violent northerly wind is a common 
occurrence in these seas. The term " ty phonic" ["tempestuous"], by which 
it is described, indicates that it was accompanied by some of the phenomena 
which might be expected in such a case, namely, the agitation and whirling 
motion of the clouds caused by the meeting of the opposite currents of air when 



Library Extracts o?i Lesson Jj. 203 

the change took place, and probably also of the sea, raising it in columns of spray. 
. . . [This storm] defeated their object of reaching Port Phenice, and forced 
them to run under the lee of Clauda. — Smith : Voyage and Shipwreck, pp. 
45-47, 55-57. 59-63- 

§640. From Clauda to Malta. The Ship Laid to. (1) At the time the 
ship was caught in the gale, she must have been near a small group of islands 
called the Paximades, in the Gulf of Messara. The island of Cauda lay about 
twenty-three miles to leeward, and thither they were driven . . . before the gale. 
Upon reaching it they availed themselves of the smooth water under its lee, to 
prepare the ship to resist the fury of the storm. Their first care was to secure the 
boat, by hoisting it on board. ... St. Luke tells us that they had much difficulty 
in securing the boat. He does not say why; but independently of the gale which 
was raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirty miles 
after the gale sprung up, and could scarcely fail to be filled with water. . . . 

If they had continued to scud, [the wind would] have driven them directly 
towards Syrtis. . . . [Therefore they turned] the ship's head off shore, and set 
such sail as the violence of the gale would permit them to carry. . . . "They were 
thus borne along " . . .on the starboard tack. . . . With this notice concludes 
the first eventful day. — Smith : Voyage and Shipwreck, pp. 63-65, 68, 72. 

(2) In this position navigators calculate that she would drift in a direction west 
by north, at the rate of thirty-six miles in twenty-four hours. Thirteen days and a 
fraction of drifting in this direction, and at this rate, would bring her to the island 
of Malta, and to that part of the island which tradition identifies with the scene of 
the shipwreck. In this respect, therefore, modern calculations exactly confirm the 
Scripture narrative. — Abbott : Commentary, Acts, p. 2530. 

§ 641. Incidents of the Storm. The Vision of Paul. The violence of the 
storm continued without any intermission. Ort " the day after " they left Clauda, 
" they began to lighten the ship " by throwing overboard whatever could be most 
easily spared. From this we should infer that the precaution of undergirding [at 
Clauda, see Acts 27: 17] had only been partially successful, and that the vessel 
had already sprung a leak. This is made still more probable by what occurred on 
the " third day." Both sailors and passengers united in throwing out all the 
u spare gear " into the sea. ... In the present case [the] evils were much 
aggravated by the continued overclouding of the sky . . . which prevented the 
navigators from taking the necessary observations of the heavenly bodies. ... It 
was impossible to know how near they might be to the most dangerous coast. And 
yet the worst danger was that which arose from the leaky state of the vessel. 

This was so bad, that at length they gave up all hope of being saved, thinking 
that nothing could prevent her foundering. To this despair was added a further 
suffering from want of food, in consequence of the injury done to the provisions and 
the impossibility of preparing any regular meal. ... It was in this time of utter 
weariness and despair that to the Apostle there rose up " light in the darkness : " 
and that light was made the means of encouraging and saving the rest. ... A 
vision was vouchsafed to him in the night. . . . When the cheerless day came, he 
gathered the sailors round him on the deck of the labouring vessel, and, raising 
his voice above the storm, [told them of God's promise of safety to all]. — 
Conybeare and J/owson : St. Paul, pp. 331-333. 

THE SHIPWRECK. 

§ 642. The Fourteenth Night. The Wreck on Melita. The gale still 
continued without abatement. Day and night succeeded, and the danger seemed 



204 



The Bible Study Manual. 



only to increase : till fourteen days had elapsed, during which they had been " drift- 
ing through the sea of Adria." ... At the close of the fourteenth day, about the 
middle of the night the sailors suspected that they were nearing land [as. they 
heard the sound of the breakers]. . . . There was the utmost danger lest the 
vessel should strike and go to pieces. No time was to be lost. [Soundings were 
taken, and] orders were immediately given . . . [and they] let go " four anchors 
by the stern." For a time, the vessel's way was arrested : but there was too much 
reason to fear that she might part from her anchors and go ashore, if indeed she 
did not founder in the night : and " they waited anxiously for the day." . . . 



24' IT E OF 



CffCENYVICH 




MEL/TA 



NAUTICAL I or CEOCRAPHICALl MILES 

* i ; 



— ^A ^ ^j ^ 



MAP NO. 9 



Map to illustrate the shipwreck of St. Paul. The shipwreck probably occurred at the place marked C. 
For an explanation of the Map see the Lessons, Remark 14, Appendix, p. xxxi. 

The rain was falling in torrents; and all hands were weakened by want of food. 
. . . The leak was rapidly gaining, and it was expected that each moment might 
be the last. Under these circumstances we find the sailors making a selfish attempt 
to save themselves . . . [by lowering] the boat over the ship's side. . . . St. Paul 
penetrated their design. . . . With his usual tact, he addressed not a word to the 
sailors, but spoke to the soldiers. . . . With that short sword, with which the 
Roman legions cleft their way through every obstacle to universal victory, they 
" cut the ropes; " and the boat fell off, and, if not instantly swamped, drifted off 
to leeward into the darkness, and was dashed to pieces on the rocks. . . . 

A slight effort of imagination suffices to bring before us an impressive spectacle, 
as we think of the dim light just shewing the haggard faces of the 276 persons, 
clustered on the deck, holding on by the bulwarks of the sinking vessel. In 
this hour of anxiety the Apostle stands forward to give them courage. He reminds 
them that they had " eaten nothing " for fourteen days; and exhorts them now to 
partake of a hearty meal, pointing out to them that this was indeed essential to 
their safety, and encouraging them by the assurance that " not a hair of their 
head " should perish. So speaking, he set the example of the cheerful use of God's 
gifts and grateful acknowledgment of the Giver, by taking bread, "giving thanks 
to God before all," and beginning to eat. Thus encouraged by his calm and 
religious example, they felt their spirits revive, and " they also partook of food," 
and made themselves ready for the labour which awaited them. Instead of 



Library Extracts on Lesson Jj. 205 

abandoning themselves to despair, they proceeded actively to adopt the last means 
for relieving the sinking vessel. . . . The hatchways were therefore opened, and 
they proceeded to throw the grain into the sea. The work would occupy some 
time; and when it was accomplished, the day had dawned, and the land was 
visible. 

The sailors looked hard at the shore, but they could not recognise it. . . . 
They perceived a small bay . . . , with a sandy or pebbly beach : and their object 
was, " if possible," so to steer the vessel that she might take the ground at that 
point. . . . We are told that they fell into " a place between two seas "... and 
then stranded the ship. The bow stuck fast in the shore and remained unmoved; 
but the stern began immediately to go to pieces under the acfion of the sea. . . . 

[The centurion] directed those who could swim to " cast themselves into the 
sea " first, while the rest made use of spars and broken pieces of the wreck. 
Thus it came to pass that all escaped safely through the breakers to the shore. 
When the land was safely reached, it was ascertained that the island on which 
they were wrecked was Melita. — Conybeare and Hozvson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 
334, 335, 337-341- 

PAUL AT MELITA. 

§643. The Scene of the Shipwreck. Malta was not then the densely 
crowded island which it has become during the last half century. . . . Much of 
the island was doubtless uncultivated and overrun with wood. Its population was 
of Phoenician origin [and though called] . . . "barbarians" [that is, persons 
whose language was neither Greek nor Latin], were favourably contrasted with 
many Christian wreckers in their reception of those who had been cast on their 
coast. They shewed them no " ordinary kindness; " for they lighted a fire and 
welcomed them all to the warmth, drenched and shivering as they were in the 
rain and cold. The whole scene is brought very vividly before us in the sacred 
narrative [in the story of Paul and the viper]. . . . 

St. Paul was enabled to work many miracles during his stay at Malta. The 
first which is recorded is the healing of the father of Publius, the governor of the 
island. . . . This being noised through the island, other sufferers came to the 
Apostle and were healed. Thus was he empowered to repay the kindness of these 
islanders by temporal services intended to lead their minds to blessings of a still 
higher kind. And they were not wanting in gratitude to those, whose unexpected 
visit had brought so much good among them. They loaded them with every 
honour in their power, and, when they put to sea again, supplied them with 
everything that Mas needful for their wants. — Conybeare and Ilowson : St. Paul, 
vol. ii, pp. 343-345- 

FROM MELITA TO ROME. 

§ 644. From Melita to Puteoli via Syracuse. " And after three months we 
departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle (Melita), whose 
sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three 
days." After leaving this port, which is not more than a day's sail from Melita, 
they proceeded circuitoudy [probably because of head winds], towards Rhegium. 
. . . But after one day the wind became fair (from the south), and on the follow- 
ing day they arrived at Puteoli, having accomplished a distance of about 180 nau- 
tical miles in less than two days. Puteoli was then, as it is now, the most sheltered 
part of the Bay of Naples. It was the principal port of southern Italy, and, in 
particular, it was the great emporium for the Alexandrian wheat ships. — S?nith: 
Voyage and Shipwreck, pp. 115, 116. 



206 The Bible Study Manual. 

% 645. The Appian Way. The track of the road still remains. It was from 
thirteen to fifteen feet broad, and the foundation was of concrete, or cemented 
rubblework, and the surface was laid with large polygonal blocks of the hardest 
stone, usually basaltic lava, irregular in form, but fitted together with great nicety. 
The distances were marked by milestones, and at intervals of about twenty miles 
were "mansions" or post-stations, where vehicles and horses and mules were 
provided for the convenience of travellers, and the transmission of Government 
dispatches. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 222. 

§ 646. The Journey to Rome. The distance [to be traveled] was about a 
hundred and forty-one miles. At the expiration of the week, Paul, with a promise 
of revisiting the Christians of Puteoli at a future day should he obtain his release, 
bade adieu to his kind friends; and Julius and his soldiers, with their prisoners, 
set forward on their route. The high road lay through Cumae and Liternum to 
Sinuessa, thirty-three miles from Puteoli. Here they found themselves upon the 
celebrated Via Appia, running from Brundisium through Sinuessa to Rome. . . . 
From Sinuessa Paul and his company followed the Via Appia ... to Terracina, 
a distance of forty-seven miles. From this point they might either take the more 
circuitous road by land round the Pontine marshes, or traverse the canal running 
across the morass in a direct line in a trackboat drawn by mules. . . . Which of 
these routes Julius adopted we are not informed, but both road and canal met at 
Appii Forum, a small town eighteen miles from Terracina. . . . 

The Christians of Rome were already numerous, being many of them of 
exalted rank, and having heard from Puteoli of Paul's expected approach, a body 
of them, in honour of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, and in testimony of their 
sense of his unparalleled exertions and sacrifices in the sacred cause, now met him 
at Appii Forum, forty-three miles from the capital. . . . The reason of their not 
advancing beyond the Appii Forum probably was, that not knowing whether the 
Apostle would come by the road or the canal, they might possibly miss him by 
the way. 

From Appii Forum the united company advanced along the Via Appia to Tres 
Tabernse, or the Three Taverns, a well-known station, distant from Appii Forum 
ten miles, and here another party of Roman brethren, 'those perhaps of maturer 
age, bade welcome to the Apostle, so that from this point his progress, instead of 
the forced march of a criminal, was more like a triumphal procession. They next 
passed through Aricia (now La Riccia), sixteen miles from Rome, a spot still 
distinguished by some remnant of its ancient celebrity. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, 
pp. 222-224. 

§ 647. The Arrival in the Imperial City. As they approached to Rome 
the suburbs were lined with the splendid villas of senators and knights, and 
wealthy commoners, and the tombs of the mighty dead. Just before reaching the 
gate of the city they passed under the arch of Drusus, erected twenty years before 
in honour of Drusus, the father of the Emperor Claudius, and who is celebrated 
by Horace as the conqueror of the Rhaeti and Vindelici. The arch still remains, 
and the spectator gazes with the more interest as he remembers that under this 
venerable fabric passed 1 800 years ago the footsteps of the great Apostle of the 
Gentiles. They now advanced into Rome itself by the Porta Capena, or Capuan 
gate, dripping with the leakage of the ancient aqueduct which was carried across 
it. The Apostle was now in the City of the Seven Hills, which for so many years 
had been the great object of his holy aspirations. He was there a prisoner, but 
no matter, he was at Rome, and we shall see that the cause of Christianity did not 
suffer by his chain. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 225-227. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson j6. 207 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 648. The Coincidence of the Secular and the Religious. One of 

the peculiarities of the 27th chapter of the Acts is that there is in it practically 
nothing of what people commonly call the " gospel." To be made " wise unto 
salvation " it is by no means essential that we should be occupied wholly with 
things religious to the neglect of the secular. The preaching that occupied Paul 
weeks or months is often passed over with hardly more than a mention, while the 
account of this voyage is fully given. We are taught thereby that religion includes 
the handling of a ship as well as a parish. There is no sharp distinction between 
the secular and the religious, but all the business of life is to be consecrated to 
the glory of God. 

§ 649. The Infallibility of God's Promises. In Jerusalem soon after 
Paul's arrest the Lord had said to him, " As thou hast testified concerning me at 
Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome " (Acts 23 : 11). Against this 
promise all adverse influences broke like waves on a granite cliff. The fierce rage 
of Paul's enemies could not reach him, the corruption of officials might delay but 
could not stop him, the wild tempest could not drown him, the battered and leak- 
ing ship could not go to pieces until it had borne him to the shore, the instinct of 
self-preservation in sailors or soldiers was overruled to his safety, the poisonous 
fangs of the viper could not hurt him. God had said that he should preach in 
Rome, and until this promise was accomplished Paul was immortal. 

§ 650. God's Promises Conditional. Notwithstanding the divine assurance 
that all on board would be saved, Paul knew that the use of ordinary means and 
faithful perseverance in the path of duty was necessary to secure the end desired. 
He did not doubt God's ability to perform a miracle for their salvation, but he well 
knew that God works through natural means, supplementing them with divine 
power. For the answer to his prayers, the Christian should pray as if it all 
depended on God; and then work as if it all depended on himself. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Peculiarities of Acts, Chap. 27 : Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, 
pp. 548, 549. 2. Ancient Navigation: Abbott, Commentary, Acts, pp. 247, 248a. 
3. Sailing Vessels of the Ancients: Malleson, Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, pp. 
551, 552. 4. Julius, Centurion of the Augustan Band : Farrar, Life and Work 
of St. Paul, pp. 561, 562. 5. Fellow-voyagers of the Apostle: Conybeare and 
Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 311. 6. Ancient Myra : Malleson, 
Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, p. 554. 7. Reasons for Anchoring from the 
Stern: Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 335-337; 
Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 494; Abbott, Commentary, Acts, p. 254^. 8. THE 
Island of Melita.iOr Malta: Gloag, Commentary, Acts, pp. 421, 422. 9. Pub- 
lius, the Chief Man of the Island: Smith, Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul, 
pp. 112-114; Abbott, Commentary, Acts, p. 258^. 



Lesson 36. -PAUL A PRISONEE IN" EOME. The Word of God not 

Bound. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 
§ 651. Design of the Lesson. To show the beginning of Paul's ministry in 
Rome during his first imprisonment there as related in the closing chapter of 



2o8 The Bible Study Manual. 

Luke's narrative; and to notice one of the results of that ministry as disclosed in 
the epistle to Philemon. 

§652. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note the place and 
character of Paul's first imprisonment in Rome and his confinement within the 
praetorium, yet the liberty accorded him to be attended by his friends and asso- 
ciates, and to continue his work as fully and freely as the responsibility of the 
soldiers for his safe keeping would permit. 

(2) Show how here, as in all other places, he begins his ministry by an appeal 
to his own countrymen, and how their rejection of the gospel opens the way for 
his work among the Gentiles. 

(3) Recount the story of Onesimus, and indicate the light thrown by it upon 
Paul's imprisonment; show why Paul, who understood fully the evil of human 
slavery, sent this fugitive slave back to his master, instead of shielding him and 
denouncing Philemon for being a slave owner. 

(4) Call attention to the literary character of the epistle sent to Philemon, its 
exquisite tact and courtesy, its self-renunciation and noble Christian spirit, and 
indicate what the epistle suggests in regard to the mental and moral traits of the 
writer himself. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

PAUL'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE JEWS IN ROME. 

§ 653. Paul a Prisoner at Rome. Julius and his charge arrived at the 
Palace and delivered up his prisoners to the Prefect of the Prsetorium. . . . The 
Praetorians consisted of nine or ten cohorts of 1000 men each. . . . One of the 
ten cohorts was always on duty at the Palace, the cohorts relieving each other 
according to a certain rota. The barrack of the cohort in attendance was within 
the Palatine, and thither prisoners from the provinces were consigned. . . . Some 
were coupled by a slight chain round the right wrist to the left of a soldier, and 
thus shackled, were allowed to be at large within the palace, or even, if they could 
afford it, were at liberty to hire a lodging for themselves without the walls, but 
within the rules or prescribed limits. Burrhus at this time was Prefect of the 
Prsetorium, and to him Julius the centurion resigned the prisoners under his 
charge. — Lewin : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 232, 234, 236. " 

§ 654. Paul's Statement to the Roman Jews. As soon as Paul had had 
the needful rest afforded by . . . three days of quietness, he pursued his invari- 
able plan of addressing himself first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 
Calling, therefore, the leading men of the Jews together, as it would appear within 
the Prastorium, for we have no reason to think that he would be permitted to 
attend the synagogue service, he there addressed them. His first care would be 
to endeavour to free himself from that suspicion with which they might very 
possibly regard him, seeing him arrive as a prisoner bound with a chain. " Breth- 
ren, I have committed nothing against our people, nothing against the customs of 
our fathers. ... I am bound with this chain only for clinging to the realized 
hope of the Messiah in which all Israel unite." — Malleson : St. Paul, pp. 583, 584. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 36. 209 

§655. The Jews' Answer to Paul, (i) That they Had Heard Nothing 
from Jerusalem against him. — This statement refers to their having received no 
official information, either written or oral, in regard to the circumstances under 
which Paul had been sent to Rome. Some have supposed the Jews to be 
insincere in this declaration, as if it was improbable that they should have been 
uninformed in regard to so important an event. But we have no sufficient reason 
for calling in question their veracity. The Palestine Jews could hardly have fore- 
seen the issue to which the case was so suddenly brought; and hence, before the 
apostle's appeal, would have deemed it unnecessary to apprise the Jews at Rome 
of the progress of the trial. It is barely possible that they could have forwarded 
intelligence since the appeal had taken place. Paul departed for Italy evidently 
soon after he had appealed, and must have availed himself of one of the last 
opportunities for such a voyage which the season of the year allowed. Having 
spent the winter at Mehta, he had proceeded to Rome at the earliest moment in 
the spring; so that in the ordinary course of things he must have arrived there in 
advance of any ship that might have left Palestine after the reopening of naviga- 
tion. — Ilackelt : Commentary, Acts, p. 457. 

(2) That Christians tuerc everywhere Spoken against. — The Christians 
of Rome had obviously, even if they were Jews, withdrawn from the Jewish 
quarter, and the residents in that quarter knew of them only by reports. What 
was the nature of those reports we can only conjecture. They were, as the 
speakers say, " everywhere spoken against." The darker calumnies which were 
propagated afterwards — stories ofThyestean {i.e., cannibal) banquets and licen- 
tious orgies — may possibly have been even then whispered from ear to ear. In 
any case the Christians of the empire would be known as abandoning circum- 
cision and other Jewish ordinances, leading a separate life, holding meetings which 
were more or less secret, worshiping One who had been crucified as a malefactor. 
They were already, as Tacitus describes them, speaking of their sufferings under 
Nero, known as holding " a detestable superstition," guilty of " atrocious and 
shameful crimes, convicted by the hatred of mankind," or as Suetonius writes as 
"a race of*men holding a new and criminal superstition." — Plumptre : In 
Handy Commentary, Acts, pp. 434A 435«. 

PAUL, PREACHING IN PRISON. 

§ 656. The Gospel Rejected by the Jews, but not Opposed. The 

Jewish council gave him a hearing; when St. Paul followed exactly the same lines 
as in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia and in his speech before Agrippa. Pie 
pointed out the gradual development of God's purposes in the law and the 
prophets, showing how they had all been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It was with the 
Jews at Rome as with the Jews elsewhere. Some believed and some believed not 
as Paul preached unto them. The meeting was much more one for discussion than 
for addresses. From morning till evening the disputation continued, till at last 
the Apostle dismissed them with the stern words of the Prophet Isaiah, taken 
from the sixth chapter of his prophecy, where he depicts the hopeless state of 
those who obstinately close their ears to the voice of conviction. But the Jews 
of Rome do not seem to have been like those of Thessalonica, Ephesus, Corinth, 
and Jerusalem in one respect. They did not actively oppose St. Paul or attempt 
to silence him by violent means. — Stokes : Acts, vol. ii, pp. 470, 471. 

§657. Paul's Two Years' Ministry in Rome. Under the care of Burrus 
[see §653], Paul was lodged somewhere in the Praetorium, within the spacious 
lines occupied by the imperial guard, and an apartment was allotted to him, which 
he occupied by himself alone, or as often as he chose to be alone; but always 



210 The Bible Study Manual. 

with a soldier attached to him by the chain that never ceased to remind him that 
he was a prisoner of the Lord. And as this guard required to be continually 
changed, in all probability daily, it may easily be conceived how many of the rude 
soldiers of the Praetorian Guard, listening daily to the teaching of the Apostle, 
would imbibe some of the spirit of Christianity, carry it to their comrades, and 
make it more or less a matter of light or serious talk, of deep or of trivial 
reflection. This and many other facilities offered him by a position otherwise irk- 
some illustrates his statement that " my bonds became manifest in Christ through- 
out the whole Praetorian Guard, and to all the rest; " and the greeting "all the 
saints salute you, especially they that are of Gesar's household." — Malleson : 
St. Paul, pp. 582, 583. 

§ 658. The Abrupt Ending of the Acts. (1) It appears to me more easy 
to account for it on the supposition that these two years of imprisonment were 
followed by a period of renewed activity, into the details of which the writer did 
not propose to enter, than on the supposition that they terminated in a violent 
death, to which he could easily have referred in a single line. We are inclined 
therefore to accept, as the more probable, the idea that the Apostle was set free, 
and was thus enabled to renew his labours for the good of the Church either in 
the East or West. ■ — Godet : Studies on the Epistles, pp. 267, 268. 

(2) The history closes somewhat abruptly. It may have been the intention of 
the -writer to continue his narrative. It is a natural inference that when he closed 
it the two years had expired, or were on the point of expiring; that he, who had 
remained with the Apostle during his imprisonment, started with him on his 
eastward journey afterwards; and that some incidents, to us unknown, hindered 
him from completing the 'work which he had begun. It is possible, on the 
other hand, that Theophilus, as an Italian convert, may have known what had 
passed in Rome during the Apostle's first sojourn there, or subsequently, and that 
St. Luke did not aim at more than setting before his friend the stages by which 
St. Paul had been brought to the imperial city. — Plumptre : In Handy Commen- 
tary, p. 437*. 

THE EPISTLE TO PHILEMON. 

§ 659. Philemon. His Residence, and his Relation to Paul. Philemon, 
the master of Onesimus, as tradition relates, was a native of Laodicea, but dwelt 
at Colossas. In the latter city he was a fellow-laborer of Paul, though in what 
relation we are not told, and stood at the head of a Christian congregation in his 
own house (vs. 2). If we conclude from vs. 19 that he also had been brought 
into the church by the preaching of Paul, we must suppose this took place during 
the Apostle's abode at Ephesus, since Paul was not personally known to the 
church at Colossse; see Col. 2: I, and comp. Col. 1 : 3-7. — Van Oosterzee : In 
Lange's Commentary, Philemon, p. 5. 

§660. Onesimus. (1) His Relation to Philemon. — The manner in which 
Paul speaks of the relation between Philemon and Onesimus, the coloring of his 
language so evidently suggested by that relation, and the unvarying tradition on 
the subject, are all without an adequate explanation, unless we admit that the two 
men were related to each other as master and slave. On this point not only the 
ancient commentators, but nearly all of any critical weight among the modern, 
agree in their decision. In Phrygia, where Onesimus lived, slaves were so numer- 
ous that the name itself of Phrygian was almost synonymous with that of slave. — 
Hacketl : In Lange's Commentary, Philemon, p. 4. 

(2) His Wrong-doing, and Flight to Rome. — What was the wrongdoing 
which had caused Onesimus to run away? The Apostle refers to it in vs. 18, 



Library Extracts on Lesson j6. 211 

The expressions used do not necessarily imply that the fugitive slave had com- 
mitted a theft. They may be explained on the supposition that he had been guilty 
of culpable negligence which had brought serious loss on his master. However 
this may be, it was the fear of well-merited punishment which had caused 
Onesimus to run away. — Godct : Studies on the Epistles, p. 224. 

(3) His Conversion. — Whether feeling his loneliness, or wearied with a life 
of vice, or impoverished and reduced to want, or seized with the fear of detection, 
he made his way to Paul. . . . And as he stepped out of the coarse debauchery 
and profanity of the crowded resorts of the metropolis into the room hallowed by 
the presence of Paul, he saw the foulness of the one life and the beauty of the 
other, and was persuaded to accept the gospel he had often heard in his master's 
house. How long he remained with Paul does not appear, but long enough to 
impress on the Apostle's mind that this slave was no common man. Paul had 
devoted and active friends by him, but this slave, trained to watch his master's 
wants and to execute promptly all that was entrusted to him, became almost 
indispensable to Paul. But to retain him, Paul feels, would be to steal him, or at 
any rate to deprive Philemon of the pleasure of voluntarily sending him to minister 
to him. Pie therefore sends him bach with this letter so exquisitely worded that 
it cannot but have secured the forgiveness and cordial reception of Onesimus. — 
Bods : Introduction, New Test., p. 149. 

§661. Epistle to Philemon. (1) Time and Place of its Compositio?i. — 
The Epistle was written some years earlier than the pastoral Epistles. . . . The 
Apostle, at the close of the letter to Philemon, expresses a hope of his own speedy 
liberation. He speaks in like manner of his approaching deliverance in his 
Epistle to the Philippians, which was written during the same imprisonment at 
Rome. Presuming, therefore, that he had good reasons for such an expectation, 
and that he was not disappointed in the result, we may conclude that this letter 
was written by him about the year A.D. 63. — Ilackett : In Lange's Commentary, 
Philemon, p. 4. 

On the reasons for possibly dating this epistle, together with Colossians and Ephesians, from 
Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea rather than at Rome, see Meyer : Commentary, Ephesians, pp. 
300, 301. The opinion of most commentators is, however, that these epistles were written from 
Rome. 

(2) Its Literary Character. — This Epistle to Philemon has one peculiar 
feature — its ccsthetic character, we may term it — which distinguishes it from all 
the other Epistles of Paul, and demands a special notice at our hands. It has 
been admired deservedly as a model of delicacy and skill in the department of 
composition to which it belongs. The writer had peculiar difficulties to overcome. 
He was the common friend of the parties at variance. He must conciliate a man 
who supposed that he had good reason to be offended. He must commend the 
offender and yet neither deny nor aggravate the imputed fault. He must assert 
the new ideas of Christian equality in the face of a system which hardly recog- 
nized the humanity of the enslaved. 

He could have placed the question on the ground of his own personal rights, 
and yet must waive them in order to secure an act of spontaneous kindness. 
His success must be a triumph of love, and nothing be demanded for the sake of 
justice which could have claimed everything. He limits his request to a forgive- 
ness of the alleged wrong, and a restoration to favor and the enjoyment of future 
sympathy and affection, and yet would so guard his words as to leave scope for all 
the generosity which benevolence might prompt towards one whose condition 
admitted of so much alleviation. These are contrarieties not easy to harmonize; 
but Paul, it is confessed, has shown a degree of self-denial and a tact in dealing 



212 The Bible Study Manual. 

with them, which, in being equal to the occasion, could not well be greater. — 
Hackett : In Lange's Commentary, Philemon, p. 7. 

[It pursues its aim with] so much Christian love and wisdom, with so great 
psychological tact, and, without sacrifice of the apostolic authority, in a manner so 
thoughtfully condescending, adroit, delicate, and irresistible, that the brief letter — 
which is in the finest sense a "speech seasoned with salt," as a most precious and 
characteristic relic of the great apostle — belongs, even as regards its Attic refine- 
ment and gracefulness, to the epistolary master-pieces of antiquity. — Meyer: 
Commentary, Philemon, p. 396. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 662. Opportunity by Limitation. Paul's imprisonment greatly broadened 
the sphere of his influence in Rome. By this means he was brought in contact 
with sailors, soldiers and their officers, " they of Caesar's household," and the great 
numbers M'ho visited the praetorian guard. He was also given an opportunity to 
write the Epistles of the Captivity. So to-day, the Christian often finds that what 
seems like limitation means enlargement of his sphere of usefulness. 

§ 663. The Resistless Progress of the Gospel. In less than three centu- 
ries the proudly uplifted silver eagles of those Roman legionaries to whom Paul 
their prisoner preached" were supplanted by the cross — the detested badge of the 
slave's torture and the malefactor's death. That the gospel had not been shorn 
of its ancient power is witnessed in our day by the rise at home of such agencies 
as the Salvation Army and the various Young People's Societies, and on the 
foreign field by the colossal expansion of missionary enterprises. 

§ 664. Christianity and Human Slavery. Human slavery, almost universal 
in the first century, was no less a crime then than in the nineteenth. Why did 
neither Christ nor the New Testament writers lift up their voices in denunciation 
of it? Because, instead of expending their strength in what would then have 
been useless condemnation of the evil, they adopted the much wiser course of 
disseminating principles that would effectually undermine it. Wherever Christian- 
ity has carried its exalted conceptions of God and man and their mutual relations, 
slavery has gone down never to rise again. 

§665. The Limits of Sacred History. The object of the book of the 
Acts apparently was to narrate the progress of the gospel from Jerusalem to 
Rome; this done the book ends, leaving innumerable points of vast interest 
untouched. But this is characteristic of the Bible, since it concerns itself only 
with the progress of the kingdom of God in the world. Questions in history, 
science, philosophy and religion possess no interest for it except as they stand 
related to this main purpose, which some one has defined to be, " Teaching men 
how to go to heaven; not how the heavens go." 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The Imperial City: Shumway, A Day in Ancient Rome. 2. London in 
the Time of St. Paul: Lew hi, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 244, 245. 
3. The Jewish Community in Rome: Conybeare and Howson: Life and Epistles 
of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 368-372. 4. Slavery IN Ancient Rome : Ibid., pp. 367, 368. 
5. Christianity and Slavery : Schaff, History of the Apostolic Church, pp. 454- 
460. 6. St. Paul and Seneca ; Lightfoot, St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, pp. 
368-331. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 37. -ERRORS IN THE COLOSSIAN CHURCH. The 

Supremacy of Christ Endangered by Palse Philosophy. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 666. Design of the Lesson. To show the nature of the errors that 
threatened to destroy the peace and prosperity of the churches in and around 
Colosse, and how Paul, when informed of the situation, met it in his epistle to 
the Colossians. 

§667. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Gather what informa- 
tion is at hand concerning the origin, probable composition, and character of the 
Colossian church. 

(2) Note what is said in the Library Extracts (§ 669) about the authorship of 
the epistle, and about its date, occasion and purpose. 

(3) Get a clear conception of the fundamental principles of the Gnostic heresy 
(see Library Extracts, § 670), of which the Colossian errors seem to have been 
incipient manifestations; then read the epistle carefully, and notice how thoughts 
of these errors give color and meaning to the apostle's language throughout. 

(4) Show how Paul met these errors, not by direct exposure and condemnation, 
but by exhibiting the true relation of Christ to the universe and to the church; 
and how he declared that all the advantages promised to those who embraced 
these errors, and many others, were actually realized in fellowship with Christ. 

(5) In conclusion state clearly Paul's exalted conception of Christ's nature and 
work as revealed in this epistle; then show that the Christ of Paul is the Christ of 
to-day, and that every departure from the revelation contained in the Bible leads 
not to greater light and wisdom, but to human folly and eternal loss. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS. 

§668. The Church at Colosse. Colossse, situated on the river Lycus, in 
southwestern Phrygia, but within the Roman proconsular province of Asia, had 
in earlier times been a large and populous city, but was considerably reduced at 
the date of this letter, possibly owing to the rivalry of its prosperous neighbours 
Laodicea and Hierapolis, which lay a few miles farther down the river. The only 
feature of the population which throws light on the epistle is its very considerable 



214 The Bible Study Manual. 

Jewish ingredient. Two thousand Jewish families had been transplanted by Anti- 
ochus the Great, and had been settled in Lydia and Phrygia; and [considering 
the Oriental features of the Gnostic heresy] it is important to observe that these 
families had been brought from Babylonia and Mesopotamia. Other influences 
increased the Jewish population until in Paul's time they formed a distinctly influ- 
ential element in the towns of Phrygia. . . . 

Apparently they had received the gospel through Epaphras, who was himself 
a Colossian, and probably was one of those who heard Paul preach at Ephesus in 
the school of Tyrannus, and who spread the knowledge of the Lord Jesus among 
" all them which dwelt in Asia." Epaphras had joined Paul in Rome, and had 
given him a vivid idea of the progress and of the dangers of the Christian Churches 
in the valley of the Lycus. Teachers had appeared in Colossse, who were con- 
fusing the minds of the converts not yet " stablished in the faith." — Dods : 
Introduction, New Test., pp. 137, 138. 

§669. The Epistle to the Colossians : (1) Authorship. — There does 
not seem to have been any doubt in the ancient Church as to the Pauline author- 
ship of the Epistle; and if the evidence that has come down to us is something 
short of conclusive, it is at least distinctly favourable to the traditional hypothesis. 
... It is sufficient to say that as soon as we find traces of a collection of St. 
Paul's Epistles, the Epistle to the Colossians certainly had a place among them, 
and in no quarter of the ancient world does it appear that this place was ques- 
tioned. — Sunday : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "Colossians, Epistle to 
the," p. 624^. 

(2) Time and Place of Writing. — By similarity of language and matter the 
epistle to the Colossians is intimately connected with that to the Ephesians; and 
the notices of St Paul's companions, and of Onesimus and Archippus, which 
occur in the epistle to Philemon, show that this last epistle was also written and 
sent at the same time as the other two. The epistle to the Philippians belongs to 
the same group, and the most probable view is that it was from Rome that all four 
were written by Paul, "the prisoner of Jesus Christ." Some critics . . . contend 
that at least three of the epistles [Philemon, Colossians and Ephesians] were 
written from Caesarea; but the traditional view that all four were written from 
Rome is supported by most modern writers, and is freest from difficulties. The 
date of the epistle to the Colossians may be placed about 62 or 63 a.d. — Smith : 
In Ency. Brit., vol. vi, Art., "Colossians, Epistle to the," p. 164^. 

(3) Occasion of the Epistle. — The Epistle seems to have been called forth by 
the information St. Paul had received from Epaphras, who, if not the actual 
founder of the Church of Colossse, was certainly one of the very earliest preachers 
of Christ in that city. . . . Its object transpires very clearly, — an earnest desire on 
the part of the apostle to warn the Colossians against a system of false teaching, 
partly Oriental and theosophistic in its character, and partly Judaical and cere- 
monial, which was tending on the one hand directly to obscure the majesty and 
glory of Christ, and on the other, to introduce ritualistic observances, especially 
on the side of bodily austerities, opposed alike to the simplicity and freedom of 
the gospel, and to all true and vital union with the risen Lord. — Ellicott : Com- 
mentary, Colossians, Int., p. 119. 

(4) Aim of the Epistle. — Paul does not aim at exploding the incipient heresy 
by argument. He contents himself with showing that all that was advantageous 
or attractive in the new doctrine existed already in Christ, and existed in Him not 
in appearance but in truth. To the attractiveness of being initiated into mysteries 
and esoteric doctrines to which none but the select few were admitted, he opposes 
his ministry of a gospel free from all intellectual exclusiveness, which he preaches 



Library Extracts on Lesson 37. 2 15 

to "every creature," " warning ( 7v/;r man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, 
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." — Dods : Introduction, 
New Test., p. 144. 

THE SUPREMACY AND SOLE MEDIATOKSHIP OF CHRIST. 

§670. The Gnostic Heresy. The system of the Gnostics was compounded 
of many heterogeneous ingredients. From the Platonic school it drew the 
doctrine of Ideas, namely that all created things had their archetypes in the 
Divine mind, and had thence received their impression. The cabbalistic fables of 
the Jews, with their legions of angels and ceremonial observances, furnished 
another and large contribution; and from the oriental Philosophy was borrowed 
the notion of two independent co-eternal principles, God and Matter, the one the 
author of Good, and the other of Evil. Lastly, to this strange mixture was added 
no inconsiderable portion of Christianity, into which Gnosticism had been imported 
by the father of heresy, Simon Magus. 

The fanciful scheme, as finally elaborated, was this — God dwelt from all Eternity 
in a Plentitude of inaccessible Light, and beyond this Plentitude lay Matter 
originally in a chaotic state, and intrinsically evil. In* the course of time, God, 
called Bythos or Depth, by acting upon his own Mind called Sige or Silence, pro- 
duced two other beings of different sexes, denominated /Eons or Emanations; 
and from these two, by successive descents, sprang a series of other /Eons. It 
may readily be imagined that when the human intellect attempted by its own 
efforts to trace the celestial pedigree, there arose infinite disputations as to the 
number of /Eons, and the order of their procession. It was against these idle 
speculations that the Apostle so earnestly warned Timothy and Titus. " Neither 
give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than 
golly edifying which is in faith." " Avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and 
contentions, and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and vain." 

It would be a waste of time to set forth in detail the theory of these Divine 
Intelligences. But, according to the genealogy more commonly received, Bythos 
was the pre-existent eternal principle, and from him and Sige or Silence, fourteen 
other pairs of /Eons, male and female, emanated. . . . One of the subsequent 
.Eons, and the author of all mischief, was Demiurgus, or the Creator. The last 
pair of /Eons were Christ and the Holy Spirit. . . . Some held that Jesus and 
Christ were two persons — Jesus, who was flesh and blood, and Christ, the yEon, 
who descended upon Jesus at his baptism, and parted from him at his crucifixion. 
Others maintained that Jesus Christ was a phantom, and had no real or substantial 
existence. John, who wrote when the Gnostic heresy was at its height, is con- 
stantly pressing upon his converts that Jesus Christ was one and the same person, 
flesh and blood like other men, and at the same time the Son of God. — Lewin : 
St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 249-251. 

§671. Paul's Conception of the Person and Work of Christ. (1) Christ 
the Visible Manifestation of God, the One Mediator in Earth and Heaven. — To 
sum up the Christology of the epistle to the Colossians : Christ is the image of the 
invisible God; that is to say, the visible manifestation of God's invisible essence. 
He is, from the metaphysical point of view, the essential Mediator between God 
and the world. It is through Him that God imparts Himself to the world, and 
that the world returns to God. . . . 

To comprehend these statements fully, we must admit the controversial aim 
which already begins to appear. The apostle seeks to give Christ supremacy in 
all things, so that His dignity shall not be diminished nor His glory eclipsed in the 
hierarchy of reons set up between God and the world. Christ is not a single aeon, 
one of a crowd — not a part of things — but the fullness. From Him the whole 



2i6 The Bible Study Manual. 

series of celestial and terrestrial beings derive their life : to Him they must ever 
return, if they would not be separated from God. Paul knows but one Mediator 
in earth and heaven. The work of mediation and universal reconciliation is not 
a collective work; the apostle does no suffer it to be shared. Redemption is the 
work of the Crucified. In Him alone God reconciles all things. It is by the 
blood of His cross that peace has been made in the visible and invisible universe. 

— Sabatier : Apostle Paul, pp. 242-244. 

(2) Christ the One through Whom All Things were Made, and the Head of All 
Things. — St. Paul finds in Christ the fundamental principle of the creation. For 
those who think with him, God had by the Christian revelation already brought 
all things to their unity. This summing up — the Christian inventory and reca- 
pitulation of the universe — the apostle has formally stated in Colossians I : 15-20 : 
" Christ is God's image and creation firstborn. In Him, through Him, for Him 
all things were made. He is before them all; and in Him they have their basis 
and uniting bond. He is equally the Head of the Church and the new creation, 
the firstborn out of the dead, that He might hold a universal presidence — charged 
with all the fulness, so that in Him is the ground of the reconciliation no less 
than of the creation of alP things in heaven and earth." — Findlay : Ephesians, 
pp. 46, 47. 

WARNINGS AGAINST FALSE PHILOSOPHY. 

§672. Errors of the Gnostic Heresy. (1) Errors in Principle. — The 
philosophy against which he would put the Colossians on their guard is false in 
two aspects. First, in its origin. It does not confine itself to reintroducing the 
ordinances of Moses, but enforces also the arbitrary and purely human prescrip- 
tions which had been added by the rabbis. . . . Then this philosophy is false as 
to its substance. It connects salvation with external rights of a material nature 
[circumcision, etc.], without relation to the moral life of man. — Godet: Studies 
on the Epistles, pp. 179, 180. 

(2) Worship of Angels. — In the opinion of the Jews, the Gentiles were under 
the sway of diabolic powers, the angels of darkness, to whom the idolatrous 
worship was offered. How could they be delivered from the dominion of these 
maleficent spirits? There could be but one way of escape; to place themselves 
under the leading of the angels of light, who alone could vanquish these unseen 
enemies of man. But for this end these heavenly spirits must be propitiated by 
scrupulous obedience to their precepts and by the worship which was their due. 

— Godet : Studies on the Epistles, pp. 168, 169. 

§ 673. These Errors Contrasted with the Work of Christ. Not so with 
the true gospel, the wisdom of which is " after Christ." This Paul shows when 
he sets forth all the fulness of that salvation which is given us in the person and 
by the work of Christ [1 : 14-20; 2: 9-15]. ... All the fulness of life and of 
Divine perfection dwells in Christ under a bodily form; if-then we are united to 
Him we have all fulness in Him, and have no need to seek anything from those 
principalities and powers [the angels], of whom He is Himself the Head [2: 
9, 10] The consecration which the Jew received through the circumcision of 
the flesh, the Colossians received in a more excellent way, through baptism, which 
by uniting them to the death and resurrection of Christ, made them die inwardly 
to sin and live again in Him with a new life [2: 11-13]. What folly to wish 
after that to bring them back to circumcision ! Who would circumcise a man 
who had died and risen again? — Godet : Studies on the Epistles, p. 180. 

§ 674. Characteristics and Results of the New Life in Christ. There 
are three characteristics of this new life possessed in Christ — the forgiveness of 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson jy. 217 

sins, which the old sacrifices could never procure; freedom from the threatenings 
of the law — the handwriting which God has Himself annulled, nailing it to the 
cross of Christ; lastly, deliverance from the power of the evil spirits [principali- 
ties and powers] which ruled the pagan world, but which were despoiled by Christ 
of their power and glory, lie triumphing openly over them in His cross [2: 
13-15]. The first of these verses shows the reason for the abolition of ceremonial 
worship; the second shows the uselessness, as far as the believer is concerned, of 
all legal institutions; the third is intended to free the believer from all supersti- 
tious fear of the maleficent power of the angels of darkness. As he has nothing 
to seek from the good angels, so he has nothing to dread from the bad. . . . 

The new teachers enjoin the worshipping of angels; they dazzle the Christians 
with the suggestion of new revelations to be obtained through these celestial 
spirits. They pretend to have access to a higher world by visions which are only 
the effect of carnal excitement (2: iS); and they do not cherish the union with 
the glorified Christ, that Head of the body who alone imparts a power of vital 
growth to all the members (2: 19). But, says Paul, you who have been raised 
together with Christ, are no longer under the dominion of material elements. 
Your spiritual life no longer depends on the things you touch, taste, and handle. 
. . . Being once risen with Christ you have but one thing to do, to live as men 
raised from the death of sin, seeking only those things which are above in that 
higher world in which you already live with Christ, while awaiting your own 
manifestation with Him in glory (3: 1-4). — Godet : Studies on the Epistles, pp. 
180-182. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 675. Human Speculations no Substitute for Revealed Truth. As at 
Colosse, so in all subsequent ages, man's philosophy has vainly tried to take the 
place of the simple gospel. The natural man rebels against accepting salvation as 
Cod has provided it, and would gladly introduce what he fancies is some improve- 
ment of his own. But as at Colosse, so always, the " improvement " is worthless; 
God's truth alone remains sure. 

§ 676. The Service of Error to Truth. The influence of error is not alto- 
gether bad. Error always acts as a powerful stimulus to the defense of truth, and 
in the end commonly results in the restatement of the truth in such terms that the 
particular form of error in question is thenceforth practically dead. But for the 
errors of the Judaizers, the church would not have possessed the epistle to the 
Galatians; but for the incipient Gnostic heresy at Colosse, Paul's magnificent 
presentation of Christ's divinity as given in the Colossian epistle would not have 
been made. 

§ 677. Christ Greatest to those who Love Him Most. To those who, 
like Paul and John, have come into the closest personal relations to Christ, his 
relation to God is most apparent, since an intimate knowledge of Christ as a 
personal Saviour is the medium through which his divine personality is most 
clearly revealed. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The City of Colosse: Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Colosse." 2. The 
Colossian Heresy: Moorkouse, Dangers of the Apostolic Age, pp. 113-168; Godet, 
Studies on the Epistles, pp. 172-174. 3. BELIEFS of THE ESSENES: Ibid., pp. 170- 
172. 4. The Angels and the Law: Ibid., pp. 176, 177. 5. Paul's Theory of 
Human Life in Opposition to Gnostic Asceticism: Sabatter, Apostle Paul, 
pp. 248, 249. 



218 The Bible Study Manual. 

Lesson 38. -JEWS AITO GENTILES MADE ONE IN OHEIST. 
Paul's Defense of the Unity of the Church. 

EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 678. Design of the Lesson. To show how Paul, in a circular letter 
addressed especially to Gentiles in Ephesus and vicinity, set forth the great truth 
that Gentiles are included equally with Jews in God's eternal purpose of grace 
in Christ, and that in him both are united into one as alike constituent and 
essential parts of his body, the church. 

§ 679. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson, (i) Note the close rela- 
tion between this epistle and that to the Colossians, with the probable reasons for 
it; also the difficulty of determining decisively to whom it was addressed, with the 
probability in favor of its being a circular letter. Note also its high literary and 
spiritual character. 

(2) Call attention to the fact that while no one knows certainly the order in 
which the epistles to the Colossians and to the Ephesians were written, yet, since 
the latter seems to follow logically as a development of the leading thought in the 
former, it was probably written last. 

(3) State the apostle's theme in the epistle; and show its exceeding fitness in 
a circular letter addressed to churches composed of Jews and Gentiles, Greeks and 
barbarians, bond and free, among whom occasions for the display of national or 
religious arrogancy were sure to present themselves with painful frequency. 

(4) Dwell especially upon Paul's thought that according to God's eternal 
purpose Jews and Gentiles were constituent and therefore essential elements in 
the church; that one cannot claim precedence over the other, and that each owes 
all the blessings and privileges enjoyed in this new relation entirely to the free and 
unmerited grace of God. 

(5) Show Paul's conception of the meaning of his divine call to become the 
apostle to the Gentiles, namely, that through him might be proclaimed to the world 
this fact of the essential unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, a fact which had 
remained from the beginning a hidden mystery, but had now been revealed that 
it might be recognized as a vital principle in the body of Christ. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS. 

§680. Th2 Epistle to the Ephesians. (r) Occasion. — The thoughts 
which had been stirred by the danger in Colossae had clearly an importance for a 
much wider and more influential circle than could be touched even if the Colossians 
were diligently to circulate their own Epistle among their neighbours in the little 
Phyrgian valley of the Lycus, both in Laodicea and Hierapolis. And further, 
there were some elements in the conception of the place which the Church, by 
virtue of her organic connexion with the Christ, occupies in relation to the whole 
counsel of God, that could not be fully developed in the stir and stress of contro- 
versy. Accordingly St. Paul sends by the same messenger a second letter, in 



Library Extracts on Lesson 38. 219 

which he expounds in detail the work which the Church has been elected to 
perform in the world and the relation in which the various members stand one to 
another in the unity of the body. — Murray: In Cambridge Companion, p. ySa. 

(2) A Circular Letter. — The letter was not, according to the true text (Eph. 
1 : 1, R. V. marg.), addressed exclusively to any particular Church. It seems to 
have been, like the First Epistle of St. Peter and the Revelation, in some sort a 
circular letter carried round by its bearer from Church to Church in Asia Minor. 
For instance, it is probable that this is the letter which the Colossians are to 
expect from Laodicea (Col. 4:16). [In Marcion's canon, made a.d. 140, it is 
called the epistle to the Laodiceans, showing that a copy of it must have been in 
Laodicea at that time.] In any case the Church at Ephesus must have been the 
most important of the Churches to which it was sent, and the centre from which 
copies of it would be most freely circulated; and so it may not unnaturally have 
been regarded as in a special sense addressed to that Church. — Murray: In 
Cambridge Companion, p. 78a. 

(3) Subject, the Unity of the Church. — For a circular letter no subject could 
be more appropriate than the unity of the Church. Unity is the key to this 
epistle : the unity of the Church with God, the unity of the two great sections of 
the Christian Church, and the unity of the members of the Church Catholic. 
" In Christ all things, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, are 
gathered together in one" (1 : 10). This is God's eternal purpose, hid from 
former ages (3: 5), but now made known (3: 5, 9). To reconcile all things to 
God — that is the purpose which has in all ages been running on to fulfilment. 
In this purpose men are included, "chosen in Christ to be holy" (1 =4), "pre- 
destinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself," received 
into the closest and truest fellowship with God. 

Through Christ this purpose of God is fulfilled, for as in the Epistle to the 
Colossians he had said that " in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily," so now he says that as Christ is as it were the body and fulness of God, 
the Church is " Christ's body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all " (1 : 23). 
In reconciling Jew and Gentile alike to God, he has reconciled them to one 
another, "making of twain one new man" (2:15) and giving "both access 
through o)ie spirit unto the Father." In order to come into this reconciliation 
with God, and be "filled with all the fulness of God" (3: 19), Christ must dwell 
in the heart by faith till the sovereignty and dominion of His love over all things 
be in some measure understood (3:17-20). — Dods : Introduction, New Test., 
pp. 123, 124. 

(4) Literary and Religious Character. — Grotius says St. Paul here equals 
the sublimity of his thoughts with words more sublime than any human tongue 
has ever uttered. Luther reckoned it among the noblest books of the New 
Testament. Witsius calls it a divine Epistle glowing with the flame of Christian 
love, and the splendour of holy light, and flowing with fountains of living water. 
Coleridge said of it, " In this, the divinest composition of man, is every doctrine 
of Christianity : first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity; and secondly, 
those precepts common to it with natural religion." Lastly, Alford calls it " the 
greatest and most heavenly work of one whose very imagination is peopled with 
things in the heavens, and even his fancy rapt into the visions of God." — Farrar : 
St. Paul, p. 632. 

GOD'S ETERNAL, PURPOSE IN CHRIST. 

§681. The Introduction to the Epistle. (1) The Gateway of Praise. — 
We enter this epistle through a magnificent gateway. The introductory Act of 



220 The Bible Study Manual. 

Praise, extending from verse 3 to 14, is one of the most sublime of inspired 
utterances, an overture worthy of the composition that it introduces. Its first 
sentence compels us to feel the insufficiency of our powers for its due rendering. 

The apostle surveys in this thanksgiving the entire course of the revelation of 
grace. Standing with the men of his day, the new-born community of the sons 
of God in Christ, midway between the ages past and to come, he looks backward 
to the source of man's salvation when it lay a silent thought in the mind of God, 
and forward to the hour when it shall have accomplished its promise and achieved 
our redemption. . . . The theme of the entire composition is given in verse 
3- • • • 

" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ : who hath blessed us, 
In every blessing of the spirit, in the heavenly places, in Christ.''" . . . 

With wondering love and joy unspeakable St. Paul pronounced this Benedictus. 
God was not less to him the Almighty, the High and Holy One dwelling in eter- 
nity, than in the days of his youthful Jewish faith; but the Eternal and All-holy 
One was now his Father in Jesus Christ. Blessed be His name : and let the 
whole earth be filled with his glory ! — Findlay : Ephesians, pp. 21-24. 

(2) The Election of Grace. — Here [vss. 4-6] is St. Paul's first chapter of 
Genesis. In the beginning was the election of grace. There is nothing unpre- 
pared, nothing unforeseen in God's dealings with mankind. . . . When he says 
that God " chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world' 1 '' — or before found- 
ing the world — this is not a mere mark of time. It intimates that in laying His 
plans for the world the Creator had the purpose of redeeming grace in view. 
The kingdom which the " blessed children " of the Father of Christ " inherit " is 
the kingdom " prepared 'for them from the fozmdation of the world (Mt. 25 : 34). 
Salvation lies as deep as creation. The provision for it is eternal. For the 
universe of being was conceived, fashioned, and built up " in Christ." . . . 

The purpose of this loving fore-ordination of believing men in Christ is two-fold; 
it concerns at once their character and their state : " He chose us out — that we 
should be holy and without blemish in His sight," and " unto adoption as sons 
through Jesus Christ for Himself." These two purposes are one. God's sons 
must be holy; and holy men are His sons. For this end " we " were elected of 
God in the beginning. Nay, with this end in view the world was founded and 
the human race came into being, to provide God with such sons and that Christ 
might be " the first-born among many brethren " (Rom. 8 : 28-30). — Findlay : 
Ephesians, pp. 25-27, 29, 30. 

§ 682. The Revelation of the Mystery of God's Purpose in Christ 
(Eph. 1 : 9, 10). God formed in Christ the purpose, by the dispensation of His 
grace, in due time to re-unite the universe under the headship of Christ. This 
mysterious design, hitherto kept secret, He has "Made known unto us." Its 
manifestation imparts a wisdom that surpasses all the wisdom of former ages. . . . 

The Messianic end was to Paul's Jewish thought the denouement of antecedent 
history. How long this age would continue, into what epochs it might unfold 
itself, he knew not; but for him the fulness of the times had arrived. The Son 
of God was come; the kingdom of God was amongst men. It was the beginning 
of the end. It is a mistake to relegate this text to the dim and distant future, to 
some far-off consummation. We are in the midst of the Christian reconstruction 
of things, and are taking part in it. The decisive epoch fell when " God sent 
forth His Son." All that has followed, and will follow, is the result of this mission. 
Christ is all things, and in all; and we are already complete in Him. . . . 

The "gathering into one" of . . . [vs. 10] signifies . . . the rectification and 
adjustment of the several parts of the great whole of things, bringing them into 



Library Extracts on Lesson 38. 221 

full accord with each other and with their Creator's will. ... In a word, the 
organization of the universe upon a Christian basis. This reconstitution of things 
is provided for and is being effected " in the Christ." He is the rallying point of 
the forces of peace and blessing. The organic principle, the organizing Head, the 
creative nucleus of the new creation is there. The potent germ of life eternal 
has been introduced into the world's chaos; and its victory over the elements of 
disorder and death is assured. — Findlay : Ephesians, pp. 45-47. 

THE GENTILES MADE PARTAKERS OF GOD'S GRACE IN CHRIST. 

§ 6S3. Jews and Gentiles Quickened by Christ. But for whom were 
these great privileges predestined, and how were they bestowed? The full answer 
is contained in [Eph., chapter 2]. . . . They were intended for all, both Jews and 
Gentiles, and were bestowed by free grace. In this section the leading conception 
is the unity of mankind, in the heavenlies, in Christ. The Gentiles had been dead 
in transgressions and sins, absorbed in the temporal and the external, showing by 
their disobedience the influence of the Prince of the power of the air; and the 
Jews, too, had been occupied with the desires of the flesh, doing the determina- 
tions of the flesh, and the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath even as 
the rest; but God in His rich love and mercy quickened both Jews and Gentiles 
together, while still dead in their transgressions, and raised them together, and 
seated them together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus — a name that occurs in 
verse after verse, being at the very heart of the Apostle's thoughts. The instru- 
mental cause of this great salvation is solely free grace, applied by faith, that this 
grace might be manifested to the coming ages in all its surpassing wealth of kind- 
ness; and that we, thus created anew in Christ, and so prevented from any boast 
that we achieved by good works our own salvation, might still walk in good works, 
to which God predestined us. — Farrar : St. Paul, p. 638. 

JEWS AND GENTILES UNITED IN CHRIST. 

§ 684. Made One Body in Christ. The Apostle now comes to the principal 
point on which he wishes specially to insist with those to whom he was writing. 
Who were you, he says, you whom God has thus dealt with, whom He has raised 
like Christ Himself, from death to life, from the grave to the throne? Were you 
aforetime among His covenanted people? Had you any part in the promises? 
Nay, ye were " aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the 
covenants of promise, having no hope." Nevertheless God has brought even 
these Gentiles nigh to Himself by the blood of the cross, and has made them His 
people. He has broken down for them the wall of separation, the law, which 
rose between them and the Jews, and has thus brought together in one body these 
two races — till now so bitterly hostile — the Jews and the Gentiles. 

In thus reconciling both unto Himself and abolishing the enmity, He " has 
made in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace." He gives to both 
access to the throne of grace on equal terms. So far then from being any more 
strangers, they are "fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God," 
and are built up like living stones into the spiritual temple, founded upon Christ 
and His Apostles, to be a habitation of God through the Spirit. — Godet : Studies 
on the Epistles, pp. 204, 205. 

THE PREACHING OF THIS UNITY COMMITTED TO PAUL. 

§ 685. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Such is the greatness of the 
grace of which they are the subjects. St. Paul adds yet one more point which 
concerns him personally. In order to effect this incorporation of the Gentiles into 



222 The Bible Study Manual. 

the kingdom of God, there must be the creation of a new apostolate in addition 
to that of the twelve. This apostolate extraordinary is that with which Paul, the 
writer of this Epistle, and now a prisoner, has been invested. Unto him, who 
accounted himself " less than the least of all saints, was this grace given," that 
he "should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ"; and 
that he should make all men see that the Gentiles were fellow-heirs, fellow- 
members of the body, and partakers of the "promise in Christ Jesus through the 
Gospel." 

He entreats them therefore not to be troubled by the tribulations he has to 
endure for so great a cause, which are a glory and not a shame to them. And 
here again he falls into prayer, and from his prison intercedes with God on their 
behalf. He gives them, so to speak, a glimpse into his prison cell, where on his 
knees and pleading for these Churches, ... he asks for them that they may be 
strengthened with power through the Holy Ghost, that Christ may dwell in their 
hearts through faith, that they may be rooted and grounded in love, that they may 
have the inward illumination by which the gracious work of God will be revealed 
to them in all its height and length and breadth and depth, that thus they may 
be filled with the very fulness of God. — Godet : Studies on the Epistles, pp. 
205, 206. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 686. The Essential Unity of the Church. This does not consist in 
uniformity of creed, nor in identity of forms and rituals, but in the possession and 
manifestation of the life and spirit of Christ. Without this no one can be a 
follower of Christ except in name only (Rom. 8:9). A Calvinist and a Catholic, 
each quickened by this love, and actuated by this spirit, are, notwithstanding all 
differences in belief and worship, nearer to Christ, and therefore nearer to each 
other, than two Calvinists or two Catholics, who, without this divine life in the 
soul, profess the same creed and use the same external forms. 

§687. Essential Unity Consistent with External Diversity. As in 
the human body the life reveals itself amidst the utmost diversity of form and 
function in the members, so in the church universal, which is the body of Christ, 
the common spiritual life reveals itself under a great variety of denominational 
beliefs and practices. There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. 

§ 688. Essential Unity, and Personal Convictions of Truth. While the 
recognition of the essential unity of the church gives scope for the fullest assertion 
of denominational differences, it by no means involves the admission that all these 
beliefs and practices are equally true and correct. But it should compel each 
person so to investigate the teachings of God's word as to be able to discriminate 
between revealed truth and human additions, and having found what he honestly 
believes to be the truth to cling to it with all his mind and soul. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Historical Introduction to the Epistle: Ency. Brit., vol. viii, Art., 
" Ephesians, Epistle to the." 2. Critical Analysis of Ephesians : Smith's Diet. 
Bib., New Ed., Art., " Ephesians, Epistle to the," pp. 960^, 961^7. 3. Its Relation to 
the Epistle to the Colossians: Ibid., pp. 957^-960^. 4. Similarity between 
COLOSSIANS AND EPHESIANS : Ellicott, Commentary, Colossians, Int., p. 120. 5. THE 
Message to the Gentile Churches: Godet, Studies on the Epistles, ch. 7. 

6. What God Wrought in the Christ; Findlay, Epistle to the Ephesians, ch. 6. 

7. From Death to Life: Ibid., ch. 7. 8. The Double Reconciliation: Ibid., 
ch. 10. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 39* 223 

Lesson 39.-THE GOSPEL IN EOME. Its Progress Furthered 
by Paul's Imprisonment. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 6S9. Design of the Lesson. To show, by means of Paul's epistle to the 
Philippians, the results of his preaching while a prisoner in Rome, the circum- 
stances in which he found himself, his prospects for the future, and his readiness 
for either life or death as the termination of his imprisonment. 

§690. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Recall the experiences 
of Paul in Philippi at the planting of the church; how he had been driven away 
by persecution; and note the remarkable affection and loyalty displayed by this 
church for Paul in all his subsequent ministry. 

(2) Point out the occasion of this letter to the Philippians, its familiar and 
loving tone, and the absence of those severe warnings and rebukes which mark 
many of the other epistles of Paul. 

(3) Show how his imprisonment instead of impeding the work of Christ in 
Rome seemed in many respects to facilitate it; not only by his own direct work 
in the praetorium, through which he reached very many who otherwise would not 
have heard the gospel, but also by the indirect influence of his presence, which 
inspired some to preach boldly because of their regard for him, and led others to 
increased activity in the church because of their jealousy and ill will. 

(4) Notice the light thrown by the epistle on Paul's situation in Rome, and on 
his prospects of a speedy release; yet how a change for the worse seems to have 
taken place as compared with his situation as given in the last verses of the book 
of Acts, and how this makes the apostle somewhat doubtful as to the final issue 
of his imprisonment. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPIANS. 

§691. Characteristics of the Philippian Church. Two features in the 
actual condition of Philippi which appear on the face of St. Luke's narrative and 
are not without their influence on the progress of the Gospel [were] its political 
status and its resident Jewish population. . . . 

To the scanty number and feeble influence of the Jews we may perhaps in some 
degree ascribe the unswerving allegiance of this church to the person of the 
Apostle and to the true principles of the Gospel. . . . Yet even the Philippians 
were not safe from the intrusion of these dangerous teachers. At no great 
distance lay important Jewish settlements, the strongholds of this fanatical 
opposition. Even now there might be threatenings of an interference which 
would tamper with the allegiance and disturb the peace of his beloved church. . . . 

The unwavering loyalty of his Philippian converts is the constant solace of the 
Apostle in his manifold trials, the one bright ray of happiness piercing the dark 
clouds which gather ever thicker about the evening of his life. They are his 'joy 
and crown, his brethren beloved and eagerly desired.' From them alone he 



224 The Bible Study Manual. 

consents to receive alms for the relief of his personal wants. To them alone he 
writes in language unclouded by any shadow of displeasure or disappointment. 

St. Paul's first visit to Philippi closed abruptly amid the storm of persecution. 
It was not to be expected that, where the life of the master had been so seriously 
endangered, the scholars would escape all penalties. The Apostle left behind him 
a legacy of suffering to this newly born church. This is not a mere conjecture : 
the afflictions of the Macedonian Christians, and of the Philippians especially, are 
more than once mentioned in St. Paul's epistles. If it was their privilege to 
believe in Christ, it was equally their privilege to suffer for Him. To this refiner's 
fire may doubtless be ascribed in part the lustre and purity of their faith compared 
with other churches. — Lightfoot : Philippians, pp. 49, 52, 57, 58. 

On Paul's work in Philippi, see Library Extracts on Lesson 18, §§ 341-348. 

§692. The Epistle to the Philippians: (1) Where Written. — Four of 
Paul's epistles — Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon — bear on 
their face that they were written while their author was a prisoner. They are 
therefore usually classed together and stvled the Epistles of the Imprisonment, or 
the Prison-epistles. . . . Even those who maintain the Cesarean origin of these 
[the last three] epistles, assign Philippians to the Roman imprisonment. For 
although the praetorium . . . might possibly be the palace of Herod at Caesarea 
where he was confined, the mention of Caesar's household, and the circumstances 
described in the first chapter are decisive in favour of Rome. — Dods : Introduc- 
tion, New Test., pp. 127, 128. 

(2) Occasion of the Epistle. — The occasion of the letter is obvious. Philippi 
was naturally the first city in Europe where Paul preached Christ. His maltreat- 
ment in their city drew out more powerfully the affection of the Philippians, so 
that " once and again " after he left them, they sent him pecuniary aid. For some 
time before the Roman imprisonment their friendly assistance had ceased, which 
Paul with his usual delicacy attributes to no decay of their affection, but solely to 
lack of opportunity. But this blank interval marked with all the greater empha- 
sis their resumption of their old expressions of affection. While in Rome Paul 
received from his first European converts a gift made all the more acceptable by 
its conveyance in the hand of Epaphroditus, whose energetic co-operation with 
himself in Rome Paul cannot sufficiently eulogize. Indeed this stranger from 
Philippi so threw himself into the work of Christ in the metropolis, that he 
became seriously ill; and on recovering and hearing how anxious his friends in 
Philippi had been on his account, he desired to return to them. Paul could 
scarcely send him back without putting in his hands a written acknowledgment of 
their kindness. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 130, 131. 

(3) Style of the Epistle. — [The Epistle to the Philippians] was meant to be 
a simple letter of friendship; "the most epistolary of the epistles," the easiest 
and most friendly of letters, it has been called. Paul pours into sympathetic ears 
a frank account of his circumstances, his expectations, his state of mind; and 
with a passing hint that their besetting infirmities were vanity and strife, he sets 
before them the great example of lowliness, and goes on to promise them a visit 
from Timothy and himself, and to commend Epaphroditus. Apparently he meant 
to conclude at this point; but after writing " Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the 
Lord," he resumes in a somewhat different tone and adds nearly as much as he 
had already written. . . . The fresh beginning and continuance of the letter, even 
in a different tone, needs no further explanation than it finds in the ardour and 
rapidity of Paul's mind. Having finished all he meant to say, he adds an 
exhortation similar to the conclusion of the Galatian epistle, and this exhortation 
gathers as it goes. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 131, 132, 



Library Extracts 011 Lesson 39. 225 

THE GOSPEL FURTHERED BY PAUL'S IMPRISONMENT. 

§ 693. Paul Preaching in Prison. It came to pass that Paul saw the 
former wish of his heart to have fruit in the metropolis (Rom. 1 : 13) fulfilled to 
a degree that the dark dispensation by which he had come to Rome not as the 
victorious conqueror in the world in the service of the gospel but in chains and 
bonds, had never allowed him to hope. News of the strange prisoner who 
suffered bondage year after year for the sake of a new gospel of salvation had 
been spread through the whole barracks by the soldiers of the Pretorian guard 
who were alternately charged with his custody; and had thence penetrated to 
circles of the metropolis that had never heard of Christianity before; adherents 
were gained even in the Emperor's palace. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., 
vol. i, p. 359. 

§ 694. Paul's Military Hearers in Prison. [The epistle to the Philippians] 
gives us an unusual amount of information concerning the personal situation of 
its writer. . . . Rut nothing in it is more suggestive than St. Raul's allusion to the 
Praetorian guards, and to the converts he had gained in the household of Nero. 
He tells us . . . that throughout the Praetorian quarters he was well known as a 
prisoner for the cause of Christ, and he sends special salutations to the Philippian 
Church from the Christians [probably slaves] in the Imperial household. These 
notices bring before us very vividly the moral contrasts by which the Apostle was 
surrounded. The soldier to whom he was chained to-day might have been in 
Nero's body-guard yesterday; his comrade wno next relieved guard upon the 
prisoner, might have been one of the executioners of Octavia, and might have 
carried her head to Poppoea a few weeks before. Such were the ordinary employ- 
ments of the fierce and blood-stained veterans who were daily present, like wolves 
in the midst of sheep, at the meetings of the Christian orotherhood. 

If there were any of these soldiers not utterly hardened by a life of cruelty, 
their hearts must surely have been touched by the character of their prisoner, 
brought as they were into so close a contact with him. They must have been at 
least astonished to see a man, under such circumstances, so utterly careless of 
selfish interests, and devoting himself with an energy so unaccountable to the 
teaching of others. Strange indeed to their ears, fresh from the brutality of a 
Roman barrack, must have been the sound of Christian exhortation, of prayers, 
and of hymns; stranger still, perhaps, the tender love which bound the converts 
to their teacher and to one another, and showed itself in every look and tone. — 
Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, p. 432. 

§ 695. A Strange Contrast : The Worship of Christ vs. the Worship of 
Nero. History has (tw stranger contrasts than when it shows us Paul preach- 
ing Christ under the walls of Nero's palace. Thenceforward, there were but two 
religions in the Roman world; the worship of the Emperor and the worship of 
the Saviour. The old superstitions had been long worn out; they had lost all 
hold on educated minds. There remained to civilised heathens no other worship 
possible but the worship of power; and the incarnation of power which they 
chose was, very naturally, the Sovereign of the world. 

This, then, was the ultimate result of the noble intuitions of Plato, the method- 
ical reasonings of Aristotle, the pure morality of Socrates. All had failed, for 
want of external sanction and authority. The residuum they left was the philos- 
ophy of Epicurus, and the religion of Nerolatry. But a new doctrine was already 
taught in the Forum, and believed even on the Palatine. Over against the altars 
of Nero and Poppsea, the voice of a prisoner was daily heard, and daily woke in 
grovelling souls the consciousness of their divine destiny. Men listened and 
knew that self-sacriiice was better than ease, humiliation more exalted than pride, 



226 The Bible Study Manual. 

to suffer nobler than to reign. They felt that the only religion which satisfied 
the needs of man was the religion of sorrow, the religion of self-devotion, the 
religion of the cross. — ■ Cony bear e and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 434, 435. 

§696. Increased Preaching of the Gospel by Others in Rome. (1) 

Preaching through Envy. — Moreover . . . [Paul's] captivity in Rome tended not 
a little to stimulate the brethren there in making known the gospel; for apart from 
the encouraging example afforded by his own irrepressible joy in confessing it, it 
became more and more evident that no valid accusation could be brought against 
the evangelical message for which he was in bonds. The Apostle did not indeed 
conceal from himself the fact that the zeal he excited for the work of evangeliza- 
tion did not invariably proceed from pure motives. It was evident that those who 
had hitherto played the most prominent part in the Church, and had formerly 
welcomed the Apostle with joy when he had come presumably for a short stay, 
now felt injured by the fact that in spite of his imprisonment he formed the true 
centre of the Church. Their chief concern was by their own redoubled activity 
to outdo him in the influence which they envied him; and by invidious criticism 
of his person and work to depreciate his authority in their own favour. But if 
they thought by this means to make the captive painfully aware of their superi- 
ority, they little knew the Apostle's unselfish interest in the cause of Christ. Nor 
had he any lack of brethren who adhered faithfully to him. He frequently suf- 
fered from want of earthly goods; but he was accustomed to this, and did not 
feel it. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. I, pp. 359, 360. 

(2) Preaching through Strife. — [Some of those to whom Paul refers as 
preaching through " envy and strife " were probably] members of that Judaistic 
party, or school, within the Church, which followed him with persistent opposi- 
tion, especially since the crisis when a decisive victory over their main principle 
was obtained by St. Paul in the Church-council at Jerusalem. Their distinctive 
idea was that while the Gospel was the goal of the Mosaic institutions, those 
institutions were to be permanently, and for each individual convert, the fence or 
hedge of the Gospel. Only through personal entrance into the covenant of cir- 
cumcision could the man attain the blessings of the covenant of baptism. Such 
a tenet would not necessarily preclude, in its teacher, a true belief in and pro- 
clamation of the Person and the central Work of the true Christ, however much 
it might (as it did, in the course of history) tend to a lowered and distorted view 
even of His Person. St. Paul [though always opposing the introduction of these 
Jewish teachings into churches already established] was thus able to rejoice in the 
•work of these preachers, so far as it was a true conveyance to Pagan hearers at 
Rome of the primary Fact of the Gospel — Jesus Christ. — Moule : In Cambridge 
Bible, Philippians, p. 48. 

PAUL'S READINESS FOR ANY FATE. 

§ 697. " In a Strait." "For him to live was Christ"; that is, to do the 
work and serve the interest of Christ. For him " to die was gain," that is, would 
be his own interest and reward. His strait was not, whether it would be good to 
live or good to depart, because both were good; but he doubted which of the two 
was most desirable. Nor was it his meaning to bring his own interest and Christ's 
into competition with each other. By Christ, or the interest of Christ, he means 
his serving the churches of Christ upon earth. But he knew that Christ had an 
interest also in his saints above; and could raise up more to serve him here. 
Yet, because he was to judge by what appeared, and saw that such were much 
wanted upon earth, this turned the scales in his choice; and therefore, in order to 
serve Christ in the edification of his churches, he was more inclined, by denying 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 40. 227 

himself, to have his reward delayed. — Baxter-: In Butler's Bible-Work, New 
Test., vol. ii, p. 44S/?. 

§ 698. Calmly Awaiting the Outcome. He has a full assurance that all the 
events to which he has thus referred will turn to his salvation — whether by death, 
if the Lord is pleased to call him to the honour of martyrdom, or by life, if He 
permits him still to labour on a little longer for the good of the Church on earth. 
He himself is perfectly content with either alternative. But he has a conviction 
that he shall live, and that it will yet be given him to stand once again in the 
midst of the Philippian Church for their furtherance and joy of faith. — Godet: 
Studies on the Epistles, pp. 249, 250. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 699. The Expression of Gratitude. Sweeter than violets in springtime 
is a tender and delicate expression of gratitude for favors received. Sharper than 
a serpent's tooth is the sting of ingratitude. It may never be in our power 
to repay a kindness received, but gratitude reveals a loving and appreciative heart. 

§ 700. Service to Christ's Disciples is Service for Christ. The Philip- 
pians whose love for Paul showed itself in ministering to his needs, were in reality 
ministering to Christ. Paul the servant could not repay the debt, but he knew 
that God, who does not overlook even a cup of cold water given in Christ's name, 
would supply all their needs. 

§ 701. Godliness with Contentment, Great Gain. Paul had learned in 
whatsoever state he was therewith to be content, because he had also learned to 
limit his wants to his real needs. God has promised to supply all our needs, but 
he has nowhere promised to supply all our wants. Much of our unhappiness and 
discontent arises from a failure to discriminate between wants which may be 
limitless, and needs that are limited. 

§ 702. The Christian's Anticipation of Death. He who has truly com- 
mitted his life and all his cares into God's hands, has no anxieties concerning 
what the morrow may bring. Life means continued work for a Master whose 
service is the highest joy of life; death means seeing that Master's face, abiding in 
his presence, and sharing his heavenly joy forever. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The City of Philippi: its History and Importance: Ency. Brit., vol. 
xviii, Art., " Philippi " ; Handy Commentary, Acts, p. 258 ; Lightfoot, St. Paul's Epistle 
to the Philippians, pp. 46-48.' 2. Paul's Prison Life in Rome, Illustrated by 
that of Herod Agrippa II: Ibid., pp. ioi, 102. 3. C.-esar's Household: 
Ibid., pp. 169-176. 4. Clement, Paul's Fellow-worker: Ibid., pp. 166-169. 
5. Order of the Epistles of the Captivity: Ibid., ch. 2. 6. Lost Epistles 
to the Philippians: Ibid., pp. 136-140. 7. The Example of Christ's Humil- 
ity : Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp., 599, 600. 



Legson 40. - PAUL'S P0TJRTH MISSIONARY JOUKNEY. His Last 
Words and Impending Martyrdom. 

EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 703. Design of the Lesson. To show the extent of Paul's missionary 
work after his release from the first Roman imprisonment; his condition and 



228 The Bible Study Manual, 

experiences in his second Roman imprisonment, and his feelings in view of his 
impending death, in so far as these things are indicated in the epistles which date 
from this period. 

§ 704. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Notice the general 
character of the Pastoral epistles, and the almost insurmountable difficulties in 
assigning their composition to any portion of Paul's life narrated in the Acts, or 
of harmonizing the notices of Paul's movements, given in them, with any of his 
journeys as described by Luke. 

(2) Show how these considerations compel us to assume that Paul was liberated 
from his first Roman imprisonment, enjoyed a period of liberty and missionary 
work during which he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus, after which he was arrested 
and carried to Rome, where in expectation of a speedy martyrdom he wrote 
2 Timothy. 

(3) Follow the apostle's movements after his release, in the probable realization 
of his intention to visit Philippi and Colosse, in a possible visit to Spain and 
return to Ephesus, in his journeys into Macedonia and Crete, and in his final 
journey from Ephesus to Corinth and Nicopolis. 

(4) Call attention to the fact that the burning of Rome and the beginning of 
the Neronian persecution probably occurred while Paul was on these journeys, 
and that somewhere on his route, perhaps at Nicopolis, he was again arrested and 
taken to Rome. 

(5) Picture his last imprisonment, his almost utter loneliness, his pathetic 
yearning for Timothy, the hardships of his dungeon life, and his expectation of 
a violent death; yet note his courage, his unshaken faith, his calm and joyful 
survey of his past career, and his exultant cry of triumph as he sees the victor's 
crown almost within his reach." 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§705. The Pastoral Epistles. (1) Time and Place of Composition. — 
The fourth group of St. Paul's Epistles [Titus, and 1 and 2 Timothy J belongs 
to the period which elapsed between the last mention of him in the Acts and his 
martyrdom at Rome. Our knowledge of his movements during this period 
depends entirely on these Epistles, except that an early tradition declares that he 
fulfilled the intention expressed in Rom. 15 : 28 and visited Spain. Assuming, as 
on the whole we are justified in assuming, that these letters are genuine, it is clear 
that he must have been set free from his first Roman imprisonment, and have 
spent at least some part of his time in revisiting his old friends in Greece and 
Asia Minor. To this interval of freedom we must assign the Epistle to Titus and 
the First Epistle to Timothy. . . . 

The circumstances under which the Second Epistle to Timothy was composed 
confer on it a peculiar pathos, and stamp the mark of heroic grandeur on its 
indomitable trust. It was written from Rome after the first stage of a new trial. 
St. Paul was in serious danger, and some even of his trusted friends had deserted 
him. In the bitterness of his isolation he longs for the presence of his ' darling 
son ' and writes to bid him come at once and bring Mark with him. ... As he 



Library Extracts on Lesson 40. 229 

writes the sword of the executioner is hanging over his head, and the blow may 
fall at any moment. So he takes this opportunity, which may so well be his last, 
to give full expression to all the affectionate solicitude of his loving heart for one 
who has been for many years his faithful companion. — Murray : In Cambridge 
Companion, p. 79. 

(2) Heresies Combatted. — The condition described in the Pastoral Epistles is 
rather that of a soil prepared for Gnosticism, than that of an already developed 
heresy. As Weiss says, " It is not a question of actual error that denied or com- 
batted the truth of salvation, a fact that has constantly been ignored or directly 
contradicted; but of teaching strange things that had nothing to do with saving 
truth, of foolish and presumptuous enquiry respecting things of which nothing is 
or can actually be known; which, moreover, are altogether unprofitable and 
empty of truth, so that they lead only to vain talk, to profane babbling, destitute 
of all true religious value. Those who occupy themselves with such things think 
by this means to attain to and participate in knowledge of an exceptionally high 
character. . . . The writer enters into no direct polemic with the heretical teach- 
ers, but merely in a passing and incidental manner warns Timothy against them. 
. . . The " endless genealogies " do, however, identify these teachers with incipi- 
ent Gnosticism [see § 670, Lesson 37 J, while the use they made of " the Law" 
and "Jewish fables," as well as their comparison to Jannes and Jambres, identify 
them as Jews. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 174, 175. 

PAUL'S MOVEMENTS AFTER HIS RELEASE. 

Remark. — Our information concerning this part of Paul's life is too scanty to afford any certain 
basis for tracing his journeys after his release. The most that can be said for the scheme here 
followed is that it combines tlie scattered hints of his movements as given in the Pastoral epistles, 
in such a way as to have some appearance of probability. Other schemes might be given, but we 
follow this as perhaps on the whole the best. 

§ 706. The First Visit to the East. General Statement of Paul's 
probable Movements after his Release. As to the order in which St. Paul 
visited the Last and West. On the whole, it is probable that he went eastward 
immediately after his release. ... It is certain that he was there towards the very 
close of his life. The notices of his transactions in the East scattered through 
the Pasforal Lpistles reach continuously to the time of his second imprisonment 
at Rome, which ended in his death. If this be so, the visit to Spain and the 
West [if it occurred at all] must have intervened between two visits to the East. 
For these incidents there is ample time in the four or five years which elapsed 
before his martyrdom. We obtain then 

( 1 ) A visit to the East, probably brief, according with his intention expressed 
to the Philippians and to Philemon. 

(2) The fulfilment of his long-cherished purpose of preaching in Spain and 
the West. 

(3) A return to the East. 

Eastward then the Apostle hastens after his release. First of all perhaps he 
revisited the Macedonian Churches, fulfilling his promise to the Philippians. We 
may imagine him next directing his steps towards the Churches of Asia and 
Phrygia. The unhealthy tone of religious speculation in these districts needed 
correction. And to Colossal moreover he was drawn by a personal motive. He 
was anxious to assure himself that Onesimus was fully restored to his master's 
favour, and to carry out his undertaking of staying with Philemon. We can 
scarcely suppose that he left these regions without a brief visit to the Church of 
Ephesus, which had occupied so much of his time and thoughts; and it is possible 
that some of the notices in the Pastoral Epistles refer to incidents which occurred 
on this occasion, though it is on the whole more probable that they took place on 



230 The Bible Study Manual, 

a later visit. . . . Having thus taken a rapid review of the Churches of the East, 
the Apostle [possibly] hastened to fulfil his long-postponed intention of visiting the 
hitherto unexplored region of Spain. — Lightfoot : Biblical Essays, pp. 430, 431. 

§ 707. The Burning of Rome, and the Neronian Persecution. Accord- 
ing to Tacitus, Nero wished to divert from himself the indignation which was 
universally entertained against him as the author of the conflagration which 
destroyed great part of Rome in a.d. 64. He turned to his purpose the popular 
dislike of the new sect of fanatics, who were generally detested on account of the 
abominable crimes of which they were supposed to be guilty, and who were nick- 
named by the populace "Christians." He laid the blame of the fire on them, as 
being enemies of society, eager to injure the city. 

The Christians, therefore, were sought out. Those first of all wdio openly con- 
fessed the charge of Christianity were hurried to trial. Then on the information 
elicited at their trial, many others were involved in their fate, far less on the charge 
of incendiarism, than on hostility to society and hatred of the world. Their 
punishment was turned into an amusement to divert the populace; for example, 
they were made to play the part of Actseon torn by his dogs, or were fixed on 
crosses to be set on fire, and to serve as torches at nightly festivities held in the 
Vatican Gardens. . . . The judgment of the mob on the origin of the fire was not 
permanently blinded : Nero was the real culprit, and not these miserable victims. 
At last popular feeling veered round, and the Roman public began to feel compas- 
sion for the Christians. — Ramsay : Church in the Roman Empire, pp. 233-235. 

The burning of Rome and the consequent beginning of the Neronian persecution may have 
occurred while Paul was in Spain, at all events it was probably after his release from his first 
imprisonment. 

§708. The Return to the East, and the First Epistle to Timothy. 
From Spain St. Paul seems to have returned ... to Ephesus, and here he found 
that the predictions which he had long ago uttered to the Ephesian presbyters 
were already receiving their fulfilment. Heretical teachers had arisen in the very 
bosom of the Church, and were leading away the believers after themselves. . . . 
We may imagine the grief and indignation aroused in the breast of St. Paul, when 
he found the extent of the evil, and the number of Christian converts already 
infected by the spreading plague. 

Nevertheless, it is evident from the Epistles to Timotheus and Titus, written 
about this time, that he was prevented by other duties from staying in this oriental 
region so long as his presence was required. He left his disciples to do that 
which, had circumstances permitted, he would have done himself. He was 
plainly hurried from one point to another . . . , first to Macedonia, and afterwards 
to Crete; and immediately on his return from thence, he appears finally to have 
left Ephesus for Rome, by way of Corinth. . . . 

When he arrived in Macedonia, he found that his absence might possibly be 
prolonged beyond what he had expected; and he probably felt that Timotheus 
might need some more explicit credential from himself than a mere verbal com- 
mission, to enable him for a longer period to exercise that Apostolic authority over 
the Ephesian Church, wherewith he had invested him. It would also be desirable 
that Timotheus should be able, in his struggle with the heretical teachers, to 
exhibit documentary proof of St. Paul's agreement with himself, and condemna- 
tion of the opposing doctrines. Such seem to have been the principal motives 
which led St. Paul to despatch from Macedonia that which is known as "the 
First Epistle to Timothy. — Conybeare and Howson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 447, 448. 

§ 709. Paul's Visit to Crete, and the Epistle to Titus. The expectations 
which St. Paul expressed in the above letter [1 Timothy] of more prolonged 



Library Extracts o?i Lesson 40. 231 

absence from Ephesus, could scarcely have been fulfilled for soon after we find 
that he had been in Crete (which seems to imply that, on his way thither, he has 
passed through Ephesus), and was now again on his way westwards. We must 
suppose, then, :hat he returned shortly from Macedonia to Ephesus, as he hoped, 
though doubtfully, to be able to do when he wrote to Timotheus. From Ephesus, 
as we have just said, he soon afterwards made an expedition to Crete ... in 
company with Titus, whom he left in Crete as his representative on his departure. 
He himself was unable to remain long enough to do what was needful, either in 
silencing error, or in selecting fit persons as presbyters of the numerous scattered 
Churches, which would manifestly be a work of time. Probably he confined his 
efforts to a few of the principal places, and empowered Titus to do the rest. Thus, 
Titus was left at Crete in the same position which Timotheus had occupied at 
Ephesus during St. Paul's recent absence; and there would, consequently, be the 
same advantage in his receiving written directions from St. Paul concerning the 
government and organisation of the Church, which we have before mentioned in 
the case of Timotheus. Accordingly, shortly after leaving Crete, St. Paul sent a 
letter to Titus, . . . [which] seems to have been despatched from Ephesus at the 
moment when St. Paul was on the eve of departure on a westward journey, which 
was to take him as far as Nicopolis (in Epirus) before the winter. — Conybeare 
and Hozvson : St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 460, 461. 

§710. The Arrest of Paul at Nicopolis(P), and his Transfer to Rome. 
We see from the above letter [to Titus] that Titus was desired to join St. Paul at 
Nicopolis, where the Apostle designed to winter. We learn, from an incidental 
notice elsewhere, that the route he pursued was from Ephesus to Miletus, where 
his old companion Trophimus remained behind from sickness, and thence to 
Corinth, where he left Erastus . . . whom, perhaps, he had expected, or wished, 
to accompany him in his farther progress. The position of Nicopolis would 
render it a good centre for operating upon the surrounding province; and thence 
St. Paul might make excursions to those Churches of Illyricum which he perhaps 
founded himself at an earlier period. . . . 

It seems most probable, however, that St. Paul was not permitted to spend the 
whole of this winter in security at Nicopolis. The Christians were now far more 
obnoxious to the Roman authorities than formerly. . . . There is nothing improb- 
able in supposing that, upon the testimony of some informer, he was arrested by 
the Duumvirs of Nicopolis, and forwarded to Rome for trial. The indications 
which we gather from the Second Epistle to Timotheus render it probable that 
this arrest took place not later than mid-winter. — Conybeare and Howson : St. 
Paul, vol. ii, pp. 465-467. 

Farrar, in his Life of St. Paul, ch. 55, expresses the opinion that Paul was arrested at Troas, 
after leaving Nicopolis, and that he was forwarded thence to Rome for trial. 

§711. The Second Imprisonment, and First Defense. It was not long, 
accordingly, before Paul was lying once more in prison at Rome; and it was no 
mild imprisonment this time, but the worst known to the law. No troops of 
friends now filled his room, for the Christians of Rome had been massacred or 
scattered, and it was- dangerous for anyone to avow himself a Christian. We 
have a letter written from his dungeon, the last he ever wrote, the Second Epistle 
to Timothy, which affords us a glimpse of unspeakable pathos into the circum- 
stances of the prisoner. He tells us that one part of his trial is already over. 
Not a friend stood by him as he faced the bloodthirsty tyrant who sat on the 
judgment-seat. But the Lord stood by him and enabled him to make the emperor 
and the spectators in the crowded basilica hear the sound of the gospel. The 
charge against him had broken down. But he had no hope of escape. Other 



232 The Bible Study Manual. 

stages of the trial had yet to come, and he knew that evidence to condemn him 
would either be discovered or manufactured. — Stalker : St. Paul, pp. 164, 165. 

THE FINAL, GLIMPSE OF PAUL, AND HIS LAST WORDS. 

§712. Paul's Life in the Roman Dungeon, and his Last Words. 

The letter [2 Timothy] betrays the miseries of his dungeon. He prays Timothy 
to bring him a cloak he had left at Troas to defend him from the damp of the cell 
and the cold of the winter. He asks for his books and parchments, that he may 
relieve the tedium of his solitary hours with the studies he had always loved. But, 
above all, he beseeches Timothy to come himself, for he was longing to feel the 
touch of a friendly hand and see the face of a friend yet once again before he 
died. Was the brave heart then conquered at last? Read the Epistle and see. 
How does it begin? ..." I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that 
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" 
[2 Tim. 1 : 12]. How does it end? ... "I have fought a good fight, I have 
finished my course, I have kept the faith . . . " [4; 7, 8J. This is not the strain 
of the vanquished. — Stalker : St. Paul, p. 165. 

§713. Paul's Second Defense, and his Martyrdom. Did Paul ever get 
that cloak, and the papyri and the veilum rolls? Did Timothy ever reach him? 
None can tell us. With the last verse of the Second Epistle to Timothy we have 
heard Paul's last word. In some Roman basilica, perhaps before Helius, the 
Emperor's freedman, in the presence of some dense, curious, hostile crowd of Jews 
and Pagans, he must have been heard once more, in his second defence, or on the 
second count of the indictment against him; and on this occasion the majority of 
the assessors must have dropped the tablet C — the tablet of condemnation — 
into the voting urn, and the presiding judge must have pronounced sentence of 
decapitation on one who, though condemned of holding a dangerous and illegal 
superstition, was still a Roman citizen. Was he alone at his second trial as at his 
first? Did the Gentiles again hear of Jesus and the Resurrection? . . . All such 
questions are asked in vain. Of this alone we may feel convinced — that he heard 
the sentence pronounced upon him with a feeling akin to joy. . . . 

They who will may follow him in imagination to the possible scene of his 
martyrdom, but every detail must be borrowed from imagination alone. It may be 
that the legendary is also the real scene of his death. If so, accompanied by the 
centurion and the soldiers who were to see him executed, he left Rome by the 
gate now called by his name. . . . For nearly three miles the sad procession 
walked; and doubtless the dregs of the populace, who always delight in a scene 
of horror, gathered round them. About three miles from home, not far from the 
Ostian road, is a green and level spot, with low hills around it, known anciently as 
Aquae Salviae, and now as Tre Fontane. There the word of command to halt 
was given; the prisoner knelt down; the sword flashed, and the life of the great- 
est of the Apostles was shorn away. — Farrar : St. Paul, pp. 685, 686. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 714. Christ, the Faithful Friend. How pathetic was Paul's word to 
Timothy, " Only Luke is with me." Blessed be the memory of that faithful com- 
panion whom no personal danger could deter from his loving ministry to the aged 
apostle over whose head hung the executioner's sword. Such friendships are rarer 
and more precious than gems. But even Luke could only accompany his friend 
to the place of execution. Christ not only stands by us in all earthly peril and 
loss, but goes with us into the unknown and untried future, through all darkness 
and fear into the unfading light and eternal life of heaven. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 41. 233 

§715. Paul the Christian Martyr, and Nero the Imperial Suicide. 
How boundless the contrast between them! The one, a reviled prisoner loaded 
with chains, confined in a loathsome dungeon, almost deserted by his friends, and 
suffering a felon's death; but with a pure conscience, an untroubled soul, and 
celestial companionships, leaving a name and moral influence that rank highest 
among the sons of men an.l, uplifted and sustained by an unfaltering sense of 
victory, passing away to a future of inconceivable glory and blessedness. The 
other, fawned on by cringing flatterers, enjoying in the palace of the Cresars the 
gratification of every possible whim, himself and his golden images worshiped; 
yet stained by unspeakable vices and loaded with innumerable crimes, tormented 
by fear and guilt, dying like a hunted rat in a hole, leaving a name that has been 
the world's execration, and plunging into the horrors of an eternity unilluminated 
by a solitary ray of light or hope. When Paul stood before the tribunal of Nerc 
the moral extremes of the human race faced each other. 

§716. What God Treasures in Human Life. When the work of God's 

faithful servants is finished, he takes them to himself, and treasures up all that is of 
eternal value in their work and influence. But he is indifferent to that which pos- 
sesses human interest only. He has withheld from us a knowledge of even the 
place and manner of the death of Paul, the most illustrious of his servants. He 
is too wise to preserve the mouldering bones of his prophets and apostles in 
jeweled caskets to stimulate superstitious adoration. 

§ 717. Paul's Triumphant Assurance in View of Death. This was a 
natural result of a life spent in most laborious self-sacrihcing service for Christ. 
Those who like Paul have unflinchingly fought their good battle to the end can join 
with him in the paean of -victory. What better outcome of life is there than to be 
able to say " 1 have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept 
the faith." 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Description of Ancient Rome: Abbott, Commentary, Romans, Int., ch. 5. 

2. From Rome to Spain : Lewin, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, pp. 293 ff. 

3. THE CHURCHES OP Crete : Atford, Greek Testament, vol. hi, Titus, Prolegomena, 
pp. 108-111. 4. The PASTORAL Epistles: Bleek, Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, 
pp. 51-55; Weiss, Introduction, New Test., vol. i, pp. 374-420. 5. DATE OF THE 
Pastoral Epistles : Conybeare and Hozuso?i, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, vol. ii, 
App., pp. 532-547; Lightfoot, Biblical Essays, ch. n. . 6. Paul's Last Journey to 
Rome: Farrar, Life and Work of St. Paul, pp. 668, 669. 7. Paul's SECOND ROMAN 
Imprisonment : Meyer, Commentary, Acts, p. 510. 8. Paul's First Trial before 
Nero, and HIS ACQUITTAL: Conybeare andHowson, Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 
vol. ii, pp. 441-446. 9. Probable Date of Paul's Martyrdom: Ibid., p. 440. 
10. Legends Connected with St. Paul's Death: Ibid., pp. 488-490. 



Lesson 41.— KEVIEW OF PART IV: Lessons 31-40. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 718. Design of the Lesson. Read carefully what is said in § 247, Lesson 
13, regarding the design of a review. The statements made there apply with 
equal force to this lesson. 

§719. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read also §248, Les- 
son 13, and apply the same to this lesson. 



234 The Bible Study Manual. 

(2) Request the class to be prepared to state the contents of the Introductory 
Note to Part IV in the Lessons (see Lesson 31), and also of the Introductory 
Note to this lesson. The former gives the leading characteristics of the Period 
included in Part IV, while the latter gives a summary of its entire history, all oi 
which should be carefully studied. 

(3) If necessary, apportion these notes among the scholars to state their con- 
tents, and ask the class to make any additions that may be necessary to bring out 
all the facts referred to. Either by such statements, or by questions and answers, 
bring clearly before the class a general survey of the ground covered in Part IV. 

(4) If the class or school is provided with a large map of the eastern half of 
the Mediterranean, let some pupil point out the course of Paul's voyage to Rome, 
naming the places touched; let another point out the places mentioned in connec- 
tion with the fourth missionary journey. In the absence of a large map, Map 
No. 5 in the Manual, page 175, may be used. 

§ 720. Important Points to be Aimed at in the General Survey. (1) 

Make it a rapid survey of the entire period covered in Lessons 31-40, showing 
that this was a period during the greater part of which Paul was providentially 
withdrawn from missionary work, except in so far as he was permitted to preach 
as a prisoner at Csesarea and at Rome. It was therefore a period of meditation; 
and of recuperation for the fourth missionary journey which closed his active 
labors among the churches. 

(2) Note that the time covered by the first Roman imprisonment was at least 
four and a half or five years; that it probably terminated sufficiently long 
before the breaking out of the Neronian persecution in a.d. 64 to enable Paul to 
make his anticipated visits to Macedonia and Asia Minor, and perhaps his visit to 
Spain; note also that the time covered by this season of liberty and the subse- 
quent second imprisonment is not known, but that it could not well have been 
less than three, nor more than five, years. 

(3) Observe that as a result of the first imprisonment we have the four epistles 
known as Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians, and as a result of the 
second imprisonment, the two epistles to Timothy and that to Titus. Of what Paul 
was enabled to accomplish during the fourth missionary journey but little is known. 

(4) Call attention to the fact that this period witnessed the first activft persecu- 
tion of Christians by the imperial Roman government, as a result of which Paul, 
and shortly afterwards Peter, if we may trust tradition, suffered martyrdom in Rome. 

(5) Show that while in this period the echoes of the long controversy over 
the relation of the Gentiles to the Jewish law had in large measure died away, the 
hostility of the extreme Jewish-Christian party toward Paul was still so great that 
on his fifth and last visit to Jerusalem he felt constrained to adopt special meas- 
ures to conciliate them; but that his efforts in this direction were followed by the 
riot, his arrest, and the long train of subsequent events. The overcoming of these 
national Jewish prejudices demanded severer measures than the preaching of Paul. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 42. -CHRISTIANS SUFFERING- FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS' 
SAKE. Peter's Exhortations to Patience and Well-doing. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 721. Design of the Lesson. To show the situation of the Christians to 
whom Peter addressed his first epistle, and the truths by which he sought to 
comfort and strengthen them in their trials. 

§ 722. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Gather up what few 
hints are found in the New Testament touching the later life of the apostle 
Peter; in contrast with this reticence of the Scriptures regarding him, note the 
luxuriant growth of tradition that after a few centuries had grown up around his 
name, and in view of the self-contradictions and late date of these traditions, try- 
to estimate their historical value. 

(2) Consider the main facts touching the first epistle of Peter, such as its 
genuineness, date, purpose, to whom written, etc. 

(3) Show that whereas in Paul's epistles the keyword is faith, and in that of 
James it is works rooted in faith, here it is hope — a well-founded expectation that 
not only sustains the believer during the trials of this life, but that enables him 
to anticipate his blessed inheritance in the world to come. 

(4) Call attention to the light thrown by the epistle on the condition of those 
for whom it was written; that they were suffering for conscience's sake, and as 

.Christians, but that however severe such sufferings might be, there was no shame 
in them, but rather honor and glory. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER. 

§ 723. The Tradition of Peter's Residence in Rome and Martyrdom 
There. [The] incident at Antioch [Gal. 2: 11-14] is the last that is certainly 
known of Peter. The prophecy recorded in Jo. 21 : 18, 19, is in harmony with 
early tradition in pointing to a violent death. Put of the time and place of that 
death we know nothing with even approximate probability. The only historical 
mention of him for more than a hundred years afterwards is in Clement of Rome, 
who sets before the Corinthians the example of " Peter, who through zeal under- 

2 35 



2^6 The Bible Study Manual. 

took not one or two but numerous labours, and so having borne witness went 
to the place that was due to him." 

It is sometimes supposed that an indication of the place in which he " bore 
witness" or "suffered martyrdom " is afforded by the phrase " among us," i.e., 
among the Romans, in the next chapter; but this, though possible, is quite uncer- 
tain. Outside this statement, which if it were more definite would be conclusive, 
there is only the doubtful interpretation of" Babylon " in I Pet. 5 : 13 as meaning 
" Rome." . . . But from the beginning of the last quarter of the second century 
the testimony to the presence and death of Peter at Rome is almost uniform; the 
tradition, whatever may have been its foundation in fact, had firmly established 
itself. . . . 

In almost all later patristic accounts of Peter Simon Magus has an important 
place; he is said to have gone to Rome in the time of Claudius, and Peter is said 
to have at once followed him in 42 A.D.; hence, as Peter lived until the Neronian 
persecution in 67 there was room for an episcopate of twenty-five years. This 
last tradition can hardly be reconciled with the facts mentioned in the New Testa- 
ment of his presence at Jerusalem and at Antioch (Acts, ch. 15; Gal., ch. 2). — 
Hatch: In Ency. Brit., vol. xviii, Art., " Peter," pp. 695, 696. 

§ 724. Objections to this Tradition. One stream of tradition, for the 
existence of which it is difficult to account if the other tradition had been uniform, 
represents Peter as having worked at Antioch, in Asia Minor, in Babylonia, and 
in the " country of the barbarians " on the northern shores of the Black Sea. 
This is in harmony with the geographical details of the first of the two epistles 
which bear his name. That epistle is addressed to the " elect who are sojourners 
of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," and the 
" Babylon " from which it is obviously written (1 Pet. 5:13) is best understood 
not as a cryptographic expression for Rome, but, like the other geographical 
names of the epistles of the New Testament, in a literal sense. All this, no 
doubt, is not inconsistent with the supposition that Peter went to Rome towards 
the end of his life, but it seems to exclude the theory that he made a lengthened 
stay there and was the founder of the Roman Church. . . . 

The probabilities of the case are evenly balanced; on the one hand it is difficult 
to account for the complete silence as to Peter in the Pauline epistles, and it is 
impossible with those epistles in sight to regard Peter as the founder of the Roman 
community; on the other hand, it is difficult to suppose that so large a body of 
tradition had no foundation in fact. — Hatch: In Ency. Brit., vol. xviii, Art., 
" Peter," pp. 695, 696. 

§ 725. The First Epistle of Peter. (1) Authenticity. — The external evi- 
dence of authenticity is of the strongest kind. Referred to in the Second Epistle; 
known to Polycarp, and frequently alluded to in his Epistle to the Philippians; 
recognized by Papias; repeatedly quoted by Irenaeus, Clemens of Alexandria, 
Tertullian, and Origen; it was accepted without hesitation by the Universal 
Church. The internal evidence is equally strong. — Cook : In Smith's Diet. Bib., 
Art., " Peter (First Epistle)," p. 2455^. 

(2) To whom Written. — This epistle describes itself as written by "Peter, 
an apostle of Jesus Christ," to "the elect strangers (or pilgrims) of the dispersion, 
in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia." This address, especially the 
word dispersion, obliges us to think mainly of believing Jews. . . . Other passages 
seem to indicate that the writer is thinking of his readers as those who have been 
converted from among the Gentiles. . . . We cannot suppose that he meant to 
exclude Jewish Christians in any of the districts from among his readers, for there 
is no hint of this in the epistle; but his language implies that the majority of 



Library Extracts on Lesson 42. 237 

Christians in the districts named were Gentiles, and that he was therefore led to 
think of them mainly as his readers. — Bleek : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, 
pp. 163, 164. 

(3) Date of the Epistle. — The date is also uncertain. It seems likely that 
Peter suffered martyrdom at Rome about the year 67 A.D., which accordingly 
limits the date on the one side. On the other side the date is limited by the 
Epistle of Paul to the Romans, of which, as we have seen, Peter made use. If he 
also had seen the Epistle to the Ephesians, this would bring his epistle down to 
some year subsequent to Paul's imprisonment; so that we should be compelled to 
place it in the year 65 or 66. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 204, 205. 

(4) Object of the Epistle. — The object of the letter is practical. It is intended 
to encourage the Christians who were suffering on account of their faith, and who 
apparently feared even greater sufferings. The Apostle writes cheerily and hope- 
fully, reminding them that they have an inheritance " incorruptible, undefined, and 
that fadeth not away," and that, although they may be called to many trials, these 
will pass away and leave them in possession of a perfect salvation, which will be 
revealed at the appearing of Christ. — Dods : Introduction, New Test., p. 205. 

(5) Occasion of the Epistle. — Silvanus had come to him [Peter] bringing 
tidings that they [the churches] were exposed to a fiery trial of persecution. They 
were accused of being evil-doers, preaching revolutionary doctrines. The very 
name of Christian then, as afterwards under Pliny's regime, exposed them to 
odium and outrage. The teachers to whom they owed so much, Paul and Aquila 
and Luke, were no longer with them. The state of things described in the First, 
and yet more in the Second Epistle, exactly answers to that which we find in St. 
Paul's Epistles to Timothy. . . . When a wave of fanatic hatred directed against 
the name of Christian was flowing well-nigh over the length and breadth of the 
Empire, rulers in the provinces were but too likely to follow the example which 
Nero had set them in the capital. The Apostle felt that he could not withhold 
his words of comfort and counsel from those who were thus suffering. — Plumptre : 
In Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 62, 63. 

(6) The Influences that Shaped Peter 's Life. — We cannot read his 
Epistles without seeing that what the Apostle then witnessed [in his early life] left 
on him an ineffaceable impression. He had been an " eye-witness " of the suffer- 
ings of the Christ (i Pet. 5:1). He knew of those "bufferings" in the High 
Priest's palace which the sinless One had borne with such silent patience (1 Pet. 
2 : 19-23). He had found healing for his own soul in those livid marks which the 
scourge had then inflicted. He had felt that he too was a sheep that had gone 
astray, and that he had been brought back to the fold by Him who was the true 
Shepherd and Protector of his soul (1 Pet. 2: 24,25). He had been taught by 
the terrible experience of his own weakness in " denying the Lord who had bought 
him" (2 Pet. 2: 1), the intensity of that sin when it was not the momentary 
failure of faith and courage, but the persistent apostasy of a life. He had learnt 
too that a " haughty spirit gocth before a fall," that " God resisteth the proud and 
giveth grace to the humble " (1 Pet. 5:5).... 

The influences which were chiefly at work in fashioning St. Peter's character 
were (1) the teaching of our Lord as recorded in the Gospels, (2) his association 
with St. James, the brother of the Lord, in the superintendence of the Church of 
the Circumcision, (3) his friendship with St. John, (4) his knowledge of St. 
Paul's teaching as communicated orally or embodied in his Epistles. It is believed 
that a careful study of these two Epistles . . . will show that they present many 
traces, sometimes in their thoughts, sometimes in their words and phrases, of each 
of these influences. — Plumptre : In Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 62, 63. 



238 The Bible Study Manual. 

THE CHRISTIAN'S LIVING HOPE. 

§ 726. Begotten unto a Living Hope. (1) What is the principal fruit and 
end of this new generation? A living hope. Its object is not only our future 
resurrection, but the whole plenitude of the salvation still to be revealed by Jesus 
Christ, even until the new heavens and the new earth shall appear (2 Pet. 3: 13, 
14; Rev. 21 : 1). Birth implies life; so it is with the hope of believers, which is 
the very opposite of the vain, lost and powerless hope of the worldly-minded. 
It is powerful, and quickens the heart by comforting, strengthening, and encour- 
aging it, by making it joyous and cheerful in God. Its quickening influence enters 
even into our physical life. " Hope is not only the fulfilment of the new life, 
created in regeneration, but also the innermost kernel of the same." — Fronmuller: 
In Lange's Commentary, I Peter, p. 15^. 

(2) [The Apostle terms these expectations] " a living hope," a hope not 
destined-, as human hopes proverbially were, to be frail and perishable, but having 
in it the elements of a perennial life. And this was brought about by God's 
regenerating work on and in the soul. The word which St. Peter uses is peculiar 
to him among the writers of the New Testament, and meets us again in verse 23. 
The thought, however, is common to him with St. James, with St. Paul, and with 
our Lord's teaching as recorded by St. John. — Plumptre : In Cambridge Bible, 
St. Peter, p. 94. 

§ 727. The Heavenly Inheritance. Christians are begotten again, not to 
'defeat and despair, but to a hope which is eternal,' to an inheritance which will 
endure beyond the grave. ... It shall be incorruptible, like the God and Father 
who bestows it. Eternal, it shall contain within it no seed of decay, nothing 
which can cause it to perish. Neither shall it be subject to injury from without. 
It shall be undefiled, for we are to share it with our elder Brother, our High-priest, 
who is now made higher than the heavens. Earthly possessions are often sullied, 
now by the way they are attained, now by the way they are used. Neither spot 
nor blemish shall tarnish the beauty of the heavenly inheritance. It shall never 
fade away. It is amaranthine, like the crown of glory which the chief Shepherd 
shall bestow at His appearing; it is as the unwithering flowers of paradise. — 
Lumby: St. Peter, pp. 17-20. 

SUFFERING FOR CONSCIENCE'S SAKE. 

§ 728. The Need of Patience and Hope in Suffering. The suffering 
Christians needed no impassioned arguments or eager dialectics; they mainly 
needed to be taught the blessed lessons of resignation and of hope. These are 
the key-notes of St. Peter's Epistle. As they stood defenceless before their 
enemies, he points them to the patient and speechless anguish of the Lamb of 
God. Patient endurance in the present would enable them to set an example 
even to their enemies; the hope of the future would change their very sorrow 
into exultant triumph. In the great battle which had been set in array against 
them, Hope should be their helmet and Innocence their shield. — Farrar: Early 
Days, p. 73. 

§ 729. The Example of Christ's Humility. He Who is God, stooped to be 
born in the womb of His Mother, and waited patiently and grew up; and when 
grown up, was not impatient to be recognized as God. He was baptized by His 
servant, and repelled the tempter only by words. When He became a Teacher, 
He did not strive nor cry, nor did any one hear His voice in the streets. He did 
not break the bruised reed nor quench the s?noking flax. He scorned no man's 
company; He shunned no man's table, He conversed with publicans and sinners. 



Practical Suggestions on Lesson 42. 239 

He poured out water and washed His disciples' feet. He would not injure the 
Samaritan village which did not receive Him, when His disciples called lire from 
heaven to consume it. lie cured the unthankful; lie withdrew from those who 
plotted against Him. He had the traitor constantly in His company and did not 
expose him. And when He is betrayed and is brought to execution, He is like a 
sheep which before his shearers is dumb, and a lamb that doth not open its mouth. 
He who, Lord of angelic Legions, did not approve the sword of Peter drawn in 
His defence, He is spit upon, scourged, mocked. Such long-suffering as His, is 
an example to all men, but is found in God alone. — Mombert : In Lange's Com- 
mentary, I Peter, p. 46^. 

NO SHAME IN SUFFERING AS CHRISTIANS. 

§ 730. Suffering as a Christian. The Apostle now goes one step farther in 
his exhortations. The brethren are suffering for Christ's cause, and may draw 
comfort from Christ's example, and be encouraged to patience under their perse- 
cutions. Put these very sufferings, He would have them see, are God's judgment 
on His servants in this world, that they may be counted worthy of the kingdom 
of God, for which they are called to suffer. They must be watchful not to deserve 
punishment for offences that bring disgrace on themselves and on the cause of 
Christ. . . . To suffer for such tilings would disgrace the Christian name; but 
there is no shame in suffering as a Christian, but rather a reason for giving glory 
to God. That the name was bestowed as a reproach seems probable from Acts 
1 1 : 26, and still more from the mocking tone in which it is used by Agrippa. . . . 

But if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed ; but let him glorify 
God in this name. That is, let him be ihankful and show his thankfulness that 
he has been called to bear the name of Christ and to suffer for it. . . . St. Paul 
congratulates the Philippians "because to them it has been granted, in the behalf 
of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer on His behalf"; and to 
another Church he declares that his own tribulations, endured for their sakes, 
ought to be to them a glory, because they made known how precious those 
believers were in the sight of their heavenly Father for whose sake He allowed 
another to be afflicted that they might be drawn more effectually unto Him. And 
if this be so, how much cause have they to bless and glorify God who may be 
permitted to think that He is using their afflictions for a like purpose. — Lumby : 
St. Peter, pp. 1 89-191. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 731. Sympathy Springing from Personal Experience. Though Peter's 
early experiences were painful at the time, they made his admonitions doubly 
effective, and enabled him to " strengthen the brethren." Our severest experiences 
train us to perform the needful task of helping others in like trials. 

§ 732. The Difference Between a Dead and a Living Hope. Multitudes, 
when asked if they have a hope of heaven, unhesitatingly answer, Yes. But unless 
this hope proves its existence and power through a life of obedience, faith and 
love, it is a dead hope, that is, a mere desire to escape the pains and penalties of 
sin, without abandoning sin itself. Such was the hope of the unbelieving Jews 
who, irrespective of personal character, regarded themselves as heirs of the 
kingdom of God, merely because they were descendants of Abraham. In contrast 
with this stands the Christian's living hope, which rests on a solid foundation of 
what God has done for us and in us, and which effects a moral transformation of 
the whole man. 



240 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 733. " Kept by the Power of God." A Christian is as sheep in the midst 
of wolves. That he does not stray away and suffer everlasting loss is not due to 
his own strength or vigilance, but to the fact that God surrounds him, as the word 
" kept " implies, like a body-guard. No foe can approach him who is thus kept. 

§ 734. Suffering as a Christian. Peter esteemed it an honor to suffer the 
misrepresentation and calumny heaped by pagans on those who bore the name 
of Christian. He made a distinction, however, between suffering the righteous 
deserts of one's own misdoings, and suffering innocently for Christ's sake. It is 
well to distinguish between the ills that come upon us as the results of our own 
evil deeds, and those sent by God to fit us more thoroughly for his service. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Peter in Later Traditions, and in Apocryphal Literature: Ency. 
Brit., vol. xviii, Art., " Peter," pp. 696, 697 ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, pp. 63- 
66 ; Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 1-60. 2. The FIRST Epistle of Peter : Smith's 
Diet. Bib., Art., "Peter (First Epistle)," pp. 2455-2457^ ; Ency. Brit., vol. xviii, Art., 
" Peter, Epistles of," p. 697. 3. Peter's Epistles Born of His Own Experience : 
Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 26 ff. 4. Analysis of i Peter : Cambridge Com- 
panion, p. 82 ; Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 64, 65. 5. COMPARISON OF 1 PETER 
WITH OTHER EPISTLES : Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 65-72. 



Lesson 43. -THE OHUKCHES INVADED BY NEW ERftOES. 
"Warnings against Self-conceit and Lawlessness. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 735. Design of the Lesson. To show the nature of the corruptions that 
were threatening or had actually invaded the churches to which the epistles of 
Jude and 2 Peter were addressed, and to show the considerations by which the 
writers of these epistles sought to warn against these evils and to counteract their 
influence. 

§ 736. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Call attention to the 
authorship and authenticity of the epistle of Jude, the close parallelism between it 
and 2 Peter, and the question which was written first. 

(2) Notice that Jude quotes from the apocryphal book of Enoch; note the 
history and contents of this book, and consider whether such a quotation should 
invalidate the inspiration of the epistle which contains it. 

(3) Call attention to the fact that although in the lesson the authenticity of 
2 Peter has been taken for granted, yet the authorship of this epistle has been 
more questioned than that of any other New Testament writing; that the evidence 
for and against it is so evenly balanced that the most cautious and conservative 
scholars feel compelled to suspend judgment upon the question; and that no 
certain time or place can be assigned to its composition beyond the fact that, if it 
was written by Peter, it must have been shortly before his death. 

(4) Show the nature of the evils against which these two epistles were directed 



Libra?y Extracts on Lesson 43. 241 

— that it seems to have been less doctrinal than practical — a gross corruption of 
the moral life under the guise, apparently, of superior liberty and wisdom. 

(5) Point out that both writers met these errors by showing from history and 
tradition how a just and holy God had punished such outbreaks of evil in the past, 
and those who now embraced them might expect nothing less than similar 
destructive judgments upon themselves. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO JUDE AND 2 PETJER. 

§ 737. The Epistle of Jude. (1) Authorship. — The author of this Epistle 
calls himself in vs. 1, the slave of Jesus Christ and the brother of James. . . . 
Those who see in that James, the Apostle James, son of Alphseus, regard our 
Writer as the Apostle Jude, also the son of Alphreus : the " Judas not Iscariot" 
of John 14: 22. Those, on the other hand, who see in that James, not one of the 
Twelve, but the actual (maternal) brother of our Lord, the son of Joseph and 
Mary, regard our Writer as the Judas of Matt. 13: 55, another brother of our 
Lord, and a younger son of Toseph and Mary. . . . This latter is the view here 
taken. . . . 

Of this Judas, one of the Lord's brethren, we know nothing from early ecclesi- 
astical tradition. ... In this defect of our knowledge of the personal history of 
the Writer, we can only say that he, like his greater brother St. James, did not 
believe on our Lord during His ministry, but became a convert after the resurrec- 
tion. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. iv, Jude, Prolegomena, pp. 188-190. See 
also Plummer : St. Jude, ch. 30. 

(2) Authenticity. — [The Epistle of Jude] is not mentioned or quoted by any 
of the Apostolic Fathers, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, nor in the Epistle of 
Barnabas. . . . Tertullian quotes it as the work of an Apostle. . . . Eusebius 
places it among the . . . disputed books, and Jerome mentions that although 
then received, it had been rejected by many on account of its quoting the Apocry- 
phal Book of Enoch. — Plump tre : In Cambridge Bible, St. Jude, p. 89. 

In later times, the Epistle has been generally received as authentic. . . . The 
fact that doubts were entertained respecting the authenticity of the Epistle in early 
times, and that we do not find many traces of its use in the primitive Fathers, 
may easily be accounted for from its shortness, from its special character, from its 
presumed reference to apocryphal sources, from its apparently not being written 
by an Apostle. — Alford: Greek Testament, vol. iv, Jude, Prolegomena, pp. 
191, 192. 

(3) To whom Written; Occasion and Object of the Epistle. — There is 
nothing in the salutation to help us to identify the readers for whom this Epistle 
was intended. It is clear, however, from the rest of the letter, that they were 
well known to St. Jude. They had at one time been pupils of apostles, but now 
that by death or absence they had lost apostolic guidance, they were in serious 
danger from the presence among them of men who, while railing ostentatiously 
against the objeets of pagan superstition, gave themselves up to all the licentious- 
ness of pagan worship, declaring themselves, owing to their special illumination, to 
be above all law, and practising the vilest immorality under cover of some hideous 
perversion of the doctrine of the grace of God. St. Jude writes to rouse his 
"beloved" to a sense of their danger and at the same time to help them to meet 
it calmly, because they had been taught to expect it, and because, while doing 



242 The Bible Study Manual, 

what they could to help their brethren through it, they were safe in God's 
keeping. — Murray : In Cambridge Companion, p. 83a. 

(4) Parallelism between Jude and 2 Peter; Jude the Earlier Work. — The 
parallelism between 2 Pet., ch. 2, and the Epistle of St. Jude lies on the surface. 
There is sufficient resemblance to make it certain that one writer knew the work 
of the other, sufficient difference to show that he exercised a certain measure of 
independence in dealing with the materials thus placed within his reach. The 
following considerations lead, it is believed, to the inference that St. Jude's 
Epistle was the earlier of the two. 

(a) It was more likely that St. Peter should incorporate the contents of a short 
Epistle like that of St. Jude, in the longer one which he was writing, than that St. 
Jude, with the whole of St. Peter's Second Epistle before him, should have 
confined himself to one section of it only. 

(b) It was more probable that St. Peter, in reproducing St. Jude, should, as 
stated above, have thought it expedient to omit this or that passage which might 
seem to him likely to take their place among things " hard to understand " or 
prove stumbling-blocks to the weak, than that Jude should have added these 
elements to what he found written by St. Peter. — Plumptre : In Cambridge 
Bible, St. Jude, p. %%. 

(5) The Book of Enoch, Referred to in Jude. — St. Jude's reference to the 
prophecy of Enoch does not necessarily prove that he was acquainted with the 
book, but it at least shows the existence of traditions that had gathered round the 
patriarch's name. . . . The first Church writer who seems realiy to have known it 
[the book of Enoch] is Tertullian. ... In 1773 . . . Bruce, the Abyssinian 
explorer, brought over three copies which he had found in the course of his travels, 
and one of these . . . was translated by Archbishop Lawrence and published in 
1821. . . . The book thus brought to light after an interval of some fourteen 
hundred years, bears no certain evidence of date, and has been variously assigned 
by different scholars; by Ewald to B.C. 144-120, by Dillmann to B.C. no, while 
other scholars have been led by its reference to the Messiah to ascribe a post- 
Christian origin to it. As regards its contents, it is a sufficiently strange farrago. 
The one passage which specially concerns us is found in ch. 2, andis thus rendered 
by Archbishop Lawrence. It comes as a part of the first vision of Enoch : God 
will be manifested and the mountains shall melt in the flame and then, " Behold 
he comes with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon them, and to 
reprove all the carnal for everything which the wicked and ungodly have done and 
committed against him." In chs. 7, 8 we have the legend of the loves of the 
angels and the birth of the giants and the invention of arts and sciences. Then 
comes a prophecy of the deluge (ch. 10), and visions of the city of God (ch. 14), 
and the names of the seven angels (ch. 20). He sees the dwelling-place of the 
dead, both good and evil (ch. 22), and the tree of life which had been in Eden 
(ch. 24), and a field beyond the Erythraean Sea in which is the tree of knowledge. 
Vision follows upon vision, until in ch. 46 we have a reproduction of that in Dan., 
ch. 7 of the Ancient of Days in the Son of Man, who is identified with the Messiah 
(ch. 47), the Chosen One of God. . . . The Book of Enoch . . . belongs to the 
class of writings in which the decay of Judaism was but too prolific, on which 
St. Paul seems to pass a final sentence when he speaks of them as " old wives' 
fables." — Plumptre: In Cambridge Bible, St. Jude, pp. 216, 217. See also 
Plummer: St. Jude, pp. 433-441. 

§ 738. Second Epistle of Peter. (1) Authenticity. — The Second Epistle 
ascribed to St. Peter comes before us, as far as external evidence is concerned, 
somewhat heavily weighted. Origen (circ. a.d. 230) is the earliest writer who 



Library Extracts on Lesson 43. 243 

names it, and in doing so, he admits that its authority was questioned. . . . Doubts 
lingered in Asia Minor and Syria, and were expressed by Gregory of Nazianzus 
and Theodore of Mopsuetia. These, however, gradually gave way, and the 
Epistle appeared in the . . . later Syrian version, and was received into the Canon 
by the Councils of Laodicea (a.i>. 372) and Carthage (a.d. 397). . . . 

. . . We turn to the internal evidence, and here again there is, at first sight, an 
impression unfavourable to its genuineness. The opening description which the 
writer gives of himself is different from that of the First Epistle. So also is the 
general language and tenor of thought. . . . It remains to be seen, however, how 
far a more thorough examination of the Epistle confirms or balances these con- 
clusions. And here we have to deal with a large number of circumstantial details, 
each of them, it may be, comparatively inconclusive in itself, and yet tending, in 
their accumulated weight, to turn the scale ... in favour of the later acceptance 
of the Second Epistle by the Church at large, as against the earlier doubts. 

It may be added finally, that these doubts themselves, and the consequent delay 
in the acceptance, Mere what might have been expected under the circumstances 
of the case. A time of persecution necessarily interrupted the free communica- 
tion of one Church with another. . . . Nor must we forget that the false teachers 
who were condemned by the Epistle had an interest in suppressing it as far as that 
suppression lay within their power. ... It would not be strange that they should 
throw doubts on its authorship, and that those doubts should gain a certain degree 
of currency and be reproduced even by those who had not the same motive for 
suggesting them. — Plumptre : In Cambridge Bible, St. Peter, pp. 73-75, 81. See 
also Bleek : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 172-176. 

(2) Time and Place of Writing. — These can only be set down conjecturally. 
. . . Assuming the genuineness of the Epistle, St. Peter wrote it in his old age, 
when he was expecting his death. This . . . would be somewhere about the year 
68 A.D., and the place of writing would be Rome, or somewhere on the journey 
thither from the East. 

But all this is far too uncertain, and too much beset with chronological difficulties, 
to be regarded as anything more than a hypothetical corollary, contingent on our 
accepting the tradition of St. Peter's Roman martyrdom. — Alford : Greek 
Testament, vol. iv, 2 Peter, Prolegomena, p. 158. 

(3) Object of the Epistle. — This Epistle is designed to be a hortatory memorial 
addressed to believers, standing and already established in the truth, as appears 
plainly from 2 Pet. I : 12, 15. The first Epistle deals with warnings against 
dangers and enemies from without; the second warns Christians against the more 
dangerous enemies from within, and exhorts them to vigilance and resistance to 
the deceivers and scoffers, who had gradually crept into the Christian churches. 
. . . The motives to a holy life are chiefly taken from the consideration of the 
nearness of the coming of Christ and the catastrophes connected with that event. 

The deceivers against whom Peter warns his readers, are described not so much 
intellectually as morally. They are men of the Sadducee cast of mind, libertines, 
antinomists, living in uncleanness, unrighteousness and covetousness, according 
to the promptings of their own lusts. . . . They used great swelling words of 
vanity, spoke evil of dignities and the celestial powers, and derided the Lord that 
bought them. Their wisdom consisted in lying, blaspheming, and the promise of 
unbridled license. Here we may discern the roots of the antinomistic Gnosis. 
. . . The author predicts their appearance, and prophetically sees them already 
extant. Their false knowledge is opposed by the vital knowledge of Christ, on 
which great stress is laid in this Epistle. — Mombert : In Lange's Commentary, 
2 Peter, p. 3. 



244 Th* Bib? e Study Manual. 

WARNINGS AGAINST SELF-CONCEIT AND LAWLESSNESS. 

§ 739. Errorists against whom Jude Warns Christians. In the inscrip- 
tion with its invocation of a blessing the author . . . explains that an exhortation 
to contend against every danger threatening the faith common to them with all 
the saints, forms the substance of his epistle; certain men having appeared, whom 
on account of their perversion of the fundamental truths of Christianity, he 
already finds condemned in Old Testament Scripture as ungodly. He reminds 
them of three well-known examples of Divine punishment and calls down upon 
such as defile and destroy themselves with fleshly sins, after the example of those 
who were overtaken by these judgments, emancipating themselves from all that is 
called dominion and speaking evil of dignities ot whose nature they are entirely 
ignorant, a woe that again recalls three prominent examples of Old Testament 
sinners. 

From the way in which they recklessly desecrate without fear the love-feasts 
with rioting, he shows in heightened imagery that they are not what they profess 
to be, but are entirely devoid of spiritual life; that their nature impelled by wild 
passion attests their own shame and can only end in destruction, which he foretells 
in the words of the threat pronounced by Enoch on the ungodly of his time; 
finally setting forth the twofold contrariety of their nature, in accordance with 
which they murmur against God, although by their licentious life they prepare 
their own fate; and make boastful speeches, though ready to cringe before those 
from whom they expect advantage. He recalls words of the Apostles foretelling 
the appearance of frivolous mockers who should walk after their own ungodly 
lusts, and not without irony characterizes them as those who separate themselves 
although in reality they are psychists, not having the Spirit. . . . 

It is not against individual moral errors or imperfections in the Christian life that 
the Epistle is directed; but the conduct of these men is represented throughout as 
fundamentally godless and immoral. We see clearly from vs. 3 that they misin- 
terpreted the doctrine of grace as a charter for a licentious life, . . . assuming 
that those who were in a state of grace were emancipated from all external rule, 
and thus free not only from the Old Testament law but also from every new rule 
of life given by Christ. ... As a matter of fact we find them to be libertines on 
principle, who, unable or disinclined to enter more deeply into questions of 
doctrine, were content to have justified their immorality by an appeal to their 
unshaken state of grace and their enlightened spiritual Christianity. — Weiss : 
Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 118, 119, 121, 122. See also Plummer : St. 
Jude, ch. 32. 

§ 740, Heretics against whom Peter Warns Christians. The occasion 
of his writing proceeded from Gentile-Christian circles and was operative in them. 
For there can be no question that it is the professed libertines of the Epistle of 
Jude who are attacked in 2 Pet., ch. 2. In the circles to which the author's 
attention is directed, or at the time in which he writes, these libertines had 
already gone the length of making a zealous propaganda on behalf of their princi- 
ples; and had moreover found the catchword by which to allure the Christians, 
professing to be the first to give true Christian freedom, however empty their 
great swelling words might be. They had also already begun to confirm this false 
freedom by a misrepresentation of Old Testament Scripture and Pauline letters. 
For this reason the Apostle feared that worse might follow. These pernicious 
principles could not fail to be gradually developed into a formal heresy, which by 
its seductive lustre and the zeal with which from interested motives it was 
disseminated, gained a large following and thus directly led to divisions in the 
Church. . . . 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 44. 245 

There can be no question that in his description of the libertines in 2 Pet., ch. 
2, the author had the description of them in the Epistle of Jude before his mind. 
. . . The examples there adduced are widely expanded, prominence being given 
to entirely new aspects of them other than those which originally led to their 
being chosen. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 155-157. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 741. Some Modern Antinomians. It is a matter of constant observation 
that licentious men and rum-sellers, who for sensual gratification or pecuniary 
gain destroy the bodies and souls of men, are the first to cry out against the 
legal restraints that society imposes for its own protection. Bloodthirsty wolves 
are they who champion their own liberty to tear and devour the sheep, and the 
liberty of the sheep to be torn and devoured. 

§ 742. The Conceit that Accompanies Wickedness. Men who are bold 
enough to set their own wills over the will of God as the supreme law of conduct, 
are also foremost to parade their false freedom and independence, " uttering 
great swelling words of vanity." Good wine needs no bush. Genuine merit does 
not trumpet its virtues on the street corners. The most perfect liberty, which is 
the most perfect obedience to law, shows itself, not in bray and bluster, but in the 
beauty and perfection of the results attained through it. 

§ 743. Growing in Grace. Christianity is a life, and not a mere system of 
rules or doctrines. Life means growth, expansion, maturity of power and function. 
For a living organism to continue undeveloped, argues an abnormal obstruction to 
the law of life. A babe sixty years old is a monstrosity either in the nursery or in 
the church. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Author and Readers of the Epistle of Jude: Meyer, Commentary, 
Peter and Jude, pp. 381-383. 2. Object and Contents of the Epistle; Time 
and Place of its Composition: Ibid., pp. 383-386. 3. Occasion, Character, 
and Contents of 2 Peter : Ibid., pp. 251-260. 4. The Authenticity of 2 
Peter : Ibid., pp. 260-286. 5. The Assumption of Moses ; Michael the Arch- 
angel: Cambridge Bible, St. Jude, pp. 206, 207; Plummer, St. Jude, pp. 419-425. 
6. Angelology among Jewish Christians: Neander, Planting and Training, 
pp. 299, 300, 361 ; Lange, Commentary, Jude, p. 18. 



Lesson 44. -THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA MINOR AFTER 
THE DEATH OF PAUL. Commendations and Rebukes. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 744. Design of the Lesson. To show the general meaning of the book 
of Revelation; its relation to the time in which it was written, and in particular the 
condition of the seven churches in Asia Minor to which it was addressed. 

§ 745. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Obtain as clear a view 
as possible of the condition of the world about the time of the destruction of 
Jerusalem. That given in Farrar's "Early Days of Christianity'''' is extremely 
vivid, and particularly valuable as bearing upon the subject of this lesson. 



246 The Bible Study Manual. 

(2) Get a conception also of the nature and purpose of the apocalyptic litera- 
ture of the Jews, the relation of the book of Revelation to this literature, the 
reasons for dating it just before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the significance 
of the book in view of the events then occurring or impending. 

(3) Call attention to the light thrown by the messages to the seven churches 
upon their external and religious condition about the year a.d. 70, and to the fact 
that their condition probably reflects that of many other Christian churches at that 
time. 

(4) Note that notwithstanding the obscurity of many portions of the book of 
Revelation and the difficulty of interpreting its visions and symbols, it has, almost 
beyond any other book in the New Testament, been a source of comfort and 
strength to those in trial. 

LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§ 746. Condition of the World. (1) The Revolt of Judea, and the Cap- 
ture of Jerusalem. — The last procurator, Gessius Florus, A.D. 64-66, was also the 
worst. . . . He plundered not only individuals, but even communities, and laid 
deliberate schemes of iniquity for reaping his harvest of plunder. Many towns 
and villages were entirely deserted, and when the governor of Syria visited 
Jerusalem three millions of suppliant Jews entreated his interference, only to see 
Florus standing by his side and mocking at their complaints. By such outrages 
the cup of the people's sorrow was rilled to the brim, and it needed only a spark 
to kindle the conflagration, the materials for Avhich had long been gathering. 

The fatal flame broke out in A.D. 66 at Csesarea, where the heathen populace 
drove the Jews from the city after an edict of Nero had condemned them to forfeit 
the rights of Roman citizens. The consequent rebellion extended in every 
direction. . . . 

Titus at the head of four legions and numerous auxiliary troops arrived before 
the walls of the Holy City a few days before the Passover, A.D. 70. Vast multi- 
tudes were assembled at the time within the walls to keep the Feast, and the rival 
factions seemed bent on destroying one another instead of making head against 
the common foe. Famine and pestilence raged fearfully, and hundreds of thou- 
sands of dead bodies were thrown over the walls. After Titus had penetrated 
the outer walls, many of the Jews retired to the Temple, which resembled a forti- 
fied place. Extremely anxious to save the Temple, Titus gave strict orders that it 
should be spared. But a soldier threw a blazing brand into the building, and all 
efforts to extinguish the fire were in vain. 

Titus would at the last moment have checked the fury of his troops. But the 
legionaries, maddened by the length of the siege, flung each his torch into the 
midst of the splendid pile, and hurried to the work of carnage. The slaughter 
was terrible. The splendid Temple was consumed by flames, and not one stone 
was left upon another (Mt. 24: 2). The upper city was taken some weeks after- 
wards, and then the whole was levelled with the ground. More than one million 
of Jews perished in this war, and more than 90,000 prisoners were sold as slaves, 
or reserved for gladiatorial exhibitions. — Maclear : In Helps to the Study of 
the Bible, pp. 225, 226. 

(2) A Glance at the Heathen World when the Apocalypse was Written. — 
Physically, men seemed to be tormented and terrified with catastrophes and 



Library Extracts on Lesson 44. 247 

portents. ... In Rome a pestilence had carried off tens of thousands of the 
citizens. A disastrous inundation of the Tiber had impeded the march of Otho's 
troops, and encumbered the roads with ruins. In Lydia an encroachment of the 
sea had wrought fearful havoc. In Asia city after city had been shattered to the 
dust by earthquakes. . . . Morally, the . . . Pagan world . . . was sunk so low 
that, in the opinion of the Pagan moralists of the Empire, posterity could but 
imitate and could not surpass such a virulence of degradation. . . . Socially, we 
see how desperate was the condition alike of Jews and Pagans, in St. Paul, St. 
James, and Josephus on the one hand, and in Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Satirists 
on the other. Politically, the whole Empire was in a state of agitation. . . . The 
obscurity which hung about the death of Nero, . . . and the prophecies which 
had always been current about his complete restoration, . . . gained [a false 
Nero] many adherents, and caused wide-spread alarm. . . . Thus alike the Jewish 
and the heathen world, each at the nadir of their degradation and impiety, were 
bent upon the destruction of Christ's little flock; and even into that little flock 
had intruded many who came in sheep's clothing, though inwardly they were 
ravening wolves. 

Such were " the signs of the times " during the course of these awful years in 
which St. John found himself on the rocky isle " that is called Patmos," and 
uttered his prophecies respecting the past, the present, and the immediate future. 
In those prophecies we see the aspect of the age as it presented itself to the inspired 
mind of a Christian and an Apostle. — Farrar : Early Days of Christianity, pp. 
425, 426, 428. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION. 

§ 747. Apocalyptic Literature. The Greek title of this book, apokalypsis, 
connects it with the branch of Jewish and early Christian literature known as 
Apocalyptic. Both in time and in character this literature was differentiated from 
the Prophetic. It arose after the cessation of Old Testament prophecy, and under 
the stress of foreign oppression. At each critical period of their country's history, 
and when the people were becoming hopeless, the Apocalyptists sought to revive 
their courage by assuring them of the speedy approach of the Messiah, and His 
overthrow of all their oppressions. The end was at hand ; its signs were already 
visible. 

Apocalyptic literature . . . also bore direct reference to the existing circum- 
stances of God's people; and as these circumstances, the oppressors and deliver- 
ance of Israel, could not be alluded to explicitly and by name, they were compelled 
to use a system of symbols which renders their writings obscure and sometimes 
repulsive to a modern reader. . . . Having no authority of their own, the Apoca- 
lyptists frequently borrowed the authority of a great name, and issued their 
writings under the name of Enoch, Noah, Moses, Isaiah or Ezra. . . . The 
Apocalypse of John, though belonging to this branch of literature and betraying 
its characteristics, is so unique in form, contents and spirit, as to justify its separa- 
tion as canonical from the non-canonical apocalypses. — Dods : Introduction, New 
Test., pp. 235, 236. 

§ 748. Genuineness. Of its genuineness, as one of the writings of St. John, 
there is most satisfactory evidence. It is quoted with the author's name earlier 
than any other book of the New Testament, with the exception of St. Paul's First 
Epistle to the Corinthians. Justin Martyr ascribes it to St. John; Irenseus, the 
• •isciple of Polycarp, testifies to the Apostle's authorship, and states that he himself 
received the explanation of a passage in it from those who conversed with the 
Apostle about it. — Maclear ; In Helps to the Study of the Bible, p. 176. 



248 The Bible Study Manual. 

§ 749. Date of Composition. There is a serious difference of opinion as to 
the date of its production. The common opinion is based almost entirely on a 
statement by Irenseus, who was a pupil of the personal disciples of St. John, to the 
effect that 'it' (i.e. apparently ' the Revelation') 'was seen almost in his own 
time, at the end of the reign of Domitian ' (96 ad.). There are various traces, 
however, of a different tradition, notably in Epiphanius, which connects St. John's 
exile to Patmos, and by implication the writing of the Revelation, with the perse- 
cution of Nero (64-68). 

This earlier date seems imperatively demanded by internal evidence. The 
difference in style for instance between the Revelation and the Gospel requires a 
substantial difference in date of composition, if we are to maintain, as we have 
otherwise strong grounds for maintaining, the unity of their authorship. . . . The 
strongest argument of all lies in the fact that a book which has seemed to so many, 
when interpreted on the hypothesis of the later date, a dark and all but hopeless 
enigma, becomes, when once the earlier date is accepted, what it was clearly 
meant to be, a luminous and most inspiriting revelation. — Murray : In Cam- 
bridge Companion, p. 84^. 

§ 750. Interpretation of the Book. In 68, 69 a.d. Jerusalem was already 
invested by the Roman legions. The tremendous crisis was now close at hand 
which, according to our Lord's express prediction, was to mark His return in 
judgement on the guilty nation. In spite of His warning, men might fail to 
recognise Him when He came, because He did not manifest Himself in a visible 
form. They might think, especially if they were still in heart bound to the 
outward aids to worship afforded by Judaism, that the Fall of Jerusalem was a 
sign that God had finally withdrawn from, and not that He had at last wedded 
Himself to, the creatures He had made. They needed . . . clear words to help 
them to understand that ' state of salvation,' that ' new heaven and new earth 
wherein dwelleth righteousness,' which His coming was to introduce. 

It will be noticed that on this interpretation the primary application of the 
words of this prophecy is to events that lay in the immediate future at the time that 
it was delivered. And this is certainly what the language of the book itself most 
naturally suggests. Nor is there anything in the book necessarily inconsistent 
with this interpretation. ' Babylon,' that is, the old Jerusalem, fell, and 
vengeance for the righteous blood that she had shed was exacted from her in 
70 A.D. . . . There is only one short section which seems expressly to contem- 
plate a far distant crisis in the history of the world. The value of the book for us 
will lie therefore primarily in the help which it can give us towards understanding 
a certain definite series of historical events in the past. If we read these events 
in the light which this book casts upon them, we shall learn to understand the 
principles, and in some degree the methods, of the judgement which Christ comes 
to execute on the world. — Murray : In Cambridge Companion, p. 84^. 

§ 751. Object of the Book. The Apocalypse declares its own object to be 
mainly prophetic; the exhibition to God's servants of things which must shortly 
°ome to pass. And to this by far the larger portion of the book is devoted. . . . 
Intermixed however with this prophetic development, we have a course of 
hortatory and encouraging sayings, arising out of the state of the churches to 
which the book is written, and addressed through them to the church universal. — 
Alford : Greek Testament, vol. iv, Revelation, Prolegomena, p. 241. 

JOHN'S VISION OF THE GLORIFIED CHRIST. 

§ 752. The Vision of the " Son of Man." It was a splendid vision which 
was . . . presented to his eyes. The golden candlestick, first of the Tabernacle 



Library Extracts on Lessofi 44. 249 

and then of the Temple, was one of the gorgeous articles of furniture in God's 
holy house. . . . The seven golden candlesticks, or as in vs. 4 the one in seven, 
represent the Church, as she burns in the secret place of the Most High. But we 
are not invited to dwell upon the Church. Something greater attracts the eye, — 
He who is ; ' like unto a Son of man." ... It is the humanness of our Lord's 
Person more than the Person Himself, or rather it is the Person in His humanness, 
to which the words of the original direct us. . . . 

The particulars of the description indicate the official position of the Person 
spoken of, and the character in which He appears. (1) He is a priest, clothed 
with the long white garment reaching to the feet that was a distinguishing part of 
the priestly dress, but at the same time so wearing the girdle at the breasts, not at 
the waist, as to show that He was a priest engaged in the active service of the 
sanctuary. (2) He is a king, for, with the exception of the last mentioned 
particular, all the other features of the description given of Him point to kingly 
rather than to priestly power. . . . The " Son of man," . . . here brought before 
us in His heavenly glory, is both Priest and King. 

Not only so. It is even of particular importance to observe that the attributes 
with which the Priest-King is clothed are not so much those of tenderness and 
mercy as those of power and majesty, inspiring the beholder with a sense of awe 
and with the fear of judgment. . . . The hair of a glistening whiteness which, like 
snow on which the sun is shining, it almost pains the eye to look upon; those 
eyes penetrating like a flame of fire into the inmost recesses of the heart; those 
feet which like metal raised to a white heat in a furnace consume in an instant 
whatever they tread upon in anger; that voice loud and continuous, like the 
sound of the mighty sea as it booms along the shore; that sword sharp, two- 
edged, issuing from the mouth, so that no one can escape it when it is drawn to 
slay; and lastly that countenance like the sun in the height of a tropical sky, when 
man and beast cower from the irresistible scorching of his beams, — all are 
symbolical of judgment. Eager to save, the exalted High Priest is yet also 
mighty to destroy. . . . 

The Apostle felt all this; and, believer as he was in Jesus, convinced of his 
Master's love, and one who returned that love with the warmest affections of his 
heart, he was yet overwhelmed with terror. — Milligan : Revelation, pp. 14-17. 

CHRIST'S MESSAGES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA. 

§ 753. The Seven Churches and their Origin. The seven Churches to 
which the Apocalypse is addressed (Rev. 1 : 11) are the Churches of Proconsular 
Asia, in whose capital, Ephesus, Paul had worked so long, and where, since it is 
placed first, the Apostle John seems to have his abode. Then follow Smyrna, 
situated somewhat to the north in the territory of what was formerly Ionia; 
Mysian Pergamus still farther to the north; then in a south-easterly line the three 
Lydian cities Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia; and finally Laodicea in Phrygia. 
It is generally taken for granted that all these Churches must directly or indirectly 
be regarded as Pauline foundations; but this is by no means certain, for there 
were also in olden times Jewish-Christian Church-foundations in anterior Asia 
(1 Pet. 1 : 1). — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol ii, p. 77. 

§ 754. The Religious Condition of these Churches. The inner relations 
presupposed by the letters addressed to them, show their Christian life in a state 
of decline and thus point to the later part of the Apostolic period. Ephesus has 
relaxed in zealous Christian brotherly love (Rev. 2:4); Laodicea has become 
lukewarm; in over-estimating its Christian position it lias given up earnest striving 
(3:15 ff.) ; Sardis is for the most part dead, lacking vigorous proof of a Christian 



250 The Bible Study Manual. 

state (3: 1 fif.). These very phenomena lead to the inference that some time had 
elapsed since the Apostle Paul had left his former field of activity; and that the 
Churches had been without definite Apostolic guidance; that John therefore had 
not had his home in them for long. But the most suspicious thing was the 
appearance of apostles having a tendency to libertinism, who not only declared 
the eating of flesh offered to idols, but also fornication, to be permissible. . . . 
This is easily explained by misapprehension and abuse of the Pauline doctrine of 
freedom in Gentile-Christian circles, such as might readily take place after the 
Apostle had withdrawn from his field of work. — Weiss : Introduction, New 
Test., vol. ii, pp. 77, 78. . 

§ 755. Their External Condition. As to the external condition of the 
Christians, the Churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, which must have been pre- 
ponderating^ Jewish-Christian, had much to suffer from the synagogue. The 
former, like the Churches to which the Hebrew Epistle is addressed, had been 
obliged to suffer slanders, loss of property and imprisonment (Rev. 2 : 9 f.) ; the 
latter had not only borne the enmity of the synagogue with patience, but in spite 
of its unimportance had begun a successful mission therein (3 : 8 f.). Pergamus 
in particular had suffered persecution from the hands of the heathen; and during 
an outbreak of heathen fanaticism against the Christians, Antipas, a prominent 
member of the Church, had been slain (2: 13). — Weiss; Introduction, New 
Test., vol. ii, pp. 79, 80. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 756. The Living Christ in the Midst of His Churches. As the risen 
and glorified Christ walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, so he 
walks in the midst of his churches to-day to guide, reprove, condemn, comfort, 
praise, or strengthen, according to their several deserts or needs. 

§ 757. The Intolerable Nature of Spiritual Lukewarmness. The church 
at Laodicea was spewed out, because it was neither hot nor cold. Active opposi- 
tion to religion is more hopeful than blank indifference; the former argues an 
interest of some sort, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus, which may only need 
enlightenment to be transformed into a most potent agency for good. 

§ 758. The Presence of Christ in the Church the Pledge of her 
Victory. It was he whose " countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength," 
who said, " I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and 
behold, I am alive for evermore, and 1 have the keys of death and of Hades"; 
therefore " the gates of Hades shall not prevail against " his church. The " seven 
stars" are in his own right hand, and none shall quench their shining. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Patmos : Ency. Brit., vol. xviii, Art., " Patmos," p. 408. 2. The Revelation : 
To WHOM Addressed : Alford, Greek Testament, vol. iv, Revelation, Prolegomena, 
pp. 236-240. 3. The Seven Churches: Cambridge Bible, Revelation, pp. 11-29. 
4. Standpoint from which to View the Apocalypse: Farrar, Early Days 
of Christianity, pp. 428-431. 5. Systems of Interpretation: Alford, Greek 
Testament, vol. iv, Revelation, Prolegomena, pp. 245-260; Farrar, Early Days of 
Christianity, p. 435. 6. ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK: Cambridge Bible, Revelation, pp. 
58-60; Schaff-Herzog's Ency., vol. iii, Art., " Revelation, Book of," pp. 2036, 2037; 
Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. xiii, 1894, pp. 91-100. 7. THE PROLOGUE: 
Milligan, Revelation, ch. 1 ; Cambridge Bible, Revelation, pp. 3-7. 8. THE CHURCH 
ON the Field of History: Milligan, Revelation, ch. 2. 9. Heresy of the 
Nicolaitans an Outgrowth of Gnosticism: Lewin, Life and Epistles of St, 
Paul, vol. ii, pp. 252, 253. 



NOTES AND LIBRARY EXTRACTS 

ON 

THE OUTLINE INDUCTIVE COURSE 

THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH 



Lesson 45. -THE PASSING AWAY OF THE TEMPLE AND THE 

SACRIFICES. Jewish Christians Instructed in View of the 

Destruction of Jerusalem. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 759. Design of the Lesson. To show how the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the passing away of the temple and the sacrifices would naturally affect the 
Jewish Christians of that day, and how the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews 
met this difficulty by teaching them what was transient, and what permanent, in 
their faith. 

§ 760. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Call attention to the 
fact that while this epistle in the title even of the Revised Version is accredited 
to St. Paul, and that while many yet cling to the Pauline authorship, this has been 
given up by the great majority of Christian scholars, who, while they may not 
agree in their conjectures as to the author, agree unhesitatingly that he was not 
Paul. 

(2) Note the readers whom the author has in mind, his purpose in addressing 
them, and what this suggests as to the time when the epistle was written. 

(3) After calling attention to the writer's purpose, take a rapid survey of his 
argument, and show the steps by which he attained his purpose. Emphasize also 
the fact that the lesson dwells only on the opening and the close of the argument. 

(4) Mark the significance of the author's demonstration from the Old Testa- 
ment of the superiority of Christ to the angels; and note the reasons given for our 
Lord's assumption of humanity. 

(5) Show how the argument culminates in a most remarkable demonstration of 
the superiority of the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ to those of the temple, the 
latter being only the type and the former were the eternal reality. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS. 

§761. The Epistle to the Hebrews. (1) The Title. — The New Testa- 
ment writing usually known under this name, or less correctly as the Epistle of 

2 5* 



252 The Bible Study Manual. 

Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, bears in the oldest MSS. no other title than 
the words "To the Hebrews." This brief heading embraces the whole informa- 
tion as to the origin of the epistle on which Christian tradition is unanimous. 
Everything else — the authorship, the address, the date — was unknown or dis- 
puted in the early church, and continues to form matter of dispute in the present 
day. But as far back as the latter part of the 2d century the destination of the 
epistle " to the Hebrews " was acknowledged alike in Alexandria, where it was 
ascribed to Paul, and in Carthage, where it passed by the name of Barnabas, 
and no indication exists that it ever circulated under another title. — Smith : In 
Ency. Brit., vol. xi, Art., " Hebrews, Epistle to the," p. 6o2<5. 

(2) To whom Written. — It is generally agreed that the church addressed 
was composed of Hebrews or Christians of Jewish birth. We are not entitled to 
take this simply on the authority of the title, which is hardly more than a reflex- 
ion of the impression produced on an early copyist. But it is plain that the 
writer is at one with his readers in approaching all Christian truth through the 
Old Testament. . . . That the epistle was addressed to Palestine, or more specifi- 
cally to Jerusalem, has been a prevalent opinion from the time of Clement of 
Alexandria, mainly because it was assumed that the word Hebrews must naturally 
mean Jews, whose mother-tongue was Aramaic. But the term had this restricted 
sense only when put in contrast to Hellenists. In itself, according to ordinary 
usage, it simply denotes Jews by race, and in Christian writings especially Jewish 
Christians. — Smith: In Ency. Brit., vol. xi, Art., "Hebrews, Epistle to the," 
p. 604A 

(3) Evidence in the Epistle Concerning its Authorship. — An examination of 
the epistle proves: (1) that it is not a translation. Not only are the citations 
of the Old Testament taken from the LXX., but its language is woven into the 
argument. There are also plays upon words and alliterations (5:8; 9: 15-18; 
10:38, 39; 11:37; J 3 :I 4) impossible in a translation. The freedom of the 
style is also evidenced in the same direction. (2) The author was a Jew. He 
addresses Jewish readers as one of themselves. (3) He was, however, a Hel- 
lenist, a Jew in contact with Greek thought and using the LXX. (4) He was 
acquainted with the writings of Paul. (5) He was not an apostle, but one who 
had received his knowledge of the truth at second-hand (see 2:3). Some of 
these characteristics oppose the Pauline authorship. Paul uses the Hebrew and 
not the Greek Bible; and his formulae of citation are also different from those 
employed by this author. Paul never speaks of himself as receiving the gospel 
through the ministry of others. His epistles are never impersonal but always 
overflowing with personal feeling and abounding in personal references. But con- 
vincing as these features of the epistle are, it is the language and the thought 
which prove it un-Pauline. The language of Paul is rugged and disjointed and 
impetuous; while this epistle is distinguished by rhetorical skill, studied antithesis, 
even flow of faultless grammar, and measured march of rhythmical periods. — 
Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 181, 182. 

(4) Conjectures Concerning the Authorship. — But if not Paul, who wrote 
this remarkable letter? One who spoke of Timothy as brother (13 : 23), as Paul 
spoke of him as son. One, therefore, of the younger companions of Paul. 
Luke, Clement, Titus, Silas, Barnabas, Apollos, Mark, have all been thought of. 
But in behalf of most of these names there is nothing positive to urge. The 
description of Apollos in Acts 18 : 24, is decidedly in his favour; but the circum- 
stance that so far as we know his labours were confined to the Greek cities on the 
.rEgean sea presents a considerable difficulty. In favour of Barnabas' claim is the 
positive affirmation of Tertullian, and much that we know about him. But prob- 



Library Extracts on Lesson 45. 253 

ably the only safe conclusion is that of Mr. Rendall : " I see little hope of our 
recovering now a name which was mere matter of conjecture in the second cen- 
tury." And in these circumstances Dr. Bruce's reflection may appear suitable, 
" Ittseems fitting that the author of an epistle which begins by virtually proclaim- 
ing God as the only speaker in Scripture, and Jesus Christ as the one speaker in 
the New Testament, should himself retire out of sight into the background." — 
Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 183, 184. 

(5) Occasion of the Epistle. — [The Hebrew Christians] whose acceptance of 
Christ had not shaken their sense of the continuity of the people of God and 
their Old Testament privileges, might readily retain the feeling that the ritual of 
the temple was still what it was of old — a visible and necessary pledge of God's 
approach to his people and his acceptance of their worship. So long as things 
ran their old course such a feeling would hardly affect the tenor of their Christian 
life. But when the death struggle of Judea against Rome drew the sympathy of 
every Hebrew heart, when the abomination of desolation stood in the holy place, 
when the holy and beautiful house was burned up with fire, and when, with all 
this, terror and distress filled the whole Roman empire and still the Lord delayed 
His coming, it was not strange that something like despair of God's help should 
assail our Hebrews, and that all the hopes of the people of God should seem 
threatened in the overthrow of the ancient pledge of Jehovah's nearness to 
Israel. . . . 

If this be so it can hardly be questioned that the most natural view of the 
apostle's argument, as it comes to a point in such passages as 8 : 13; 9 : 9, is that 
the disappearance of the obsolete ritual of the old covenant is no blow to Christian 
faith, because in Christ ascended into glory the church possesses in heavenly 
verity all that the old ritual presented in mere earthly symbol. It was the ruin of 
the Jewish state and worship which compelled Christianity to find what is offered 
in our epistle — a theory of the disappearance of the old dispensation in the new. 
— Smith : In Ency. Brit., vol. xi, Art., " Hebrews, Epistle to the," p. 606. 

§ 762. The Argument in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The writer 
begins with the statement of his thesis, that God has given to the world by His 
Son the complete and final revelation of His will. Christians were taunted by 
Jews as apostates from Jehovah and renegades from Moses, who had abandoned 
the Law which had been delivered by the mediation of Angels, and had proved 
faithless to the Aaronic priesthood; they were told that by accepting as their 
Messiah a crucified malefactor they had forfeited all the blessings and promises 
of the Old Covenant. It is the object of the writer, first, to convince them, 
with many an interwoven warning, that, on the contrary, Christ, as the Son of 
God, is above all mediators and all priests, and the sole means of perfect and 
confident access for all men to the Holy Sanctuary of God's Presence. He 
therefore proves that Christ is above Angels, and that this supremacy was in 
no sense weakened by His earthly humiliation, which was the voluntary and pre- 
destined necessity whereby alone He could have effected His redeeming 
work; that He is above Moses by His very nature; above Joshua, because He 
leads His people into their true and final rest; like Aaron in being called of God 
and in being able to sympathise with men, but above Aaron, first because His 
Priesthood is eternal and not hereditary, and next because He is personally sinless, 
and thirdly because His Priesthood was established by an oath, and most of all 
because of the incomparable benefits resulting from it. He is only to be par- 
alleled by the mysterious Melchizedek, the kingly Prince of Peace, anterior and 
superior to Aaron, springing from another tribe than that of Levi, and belonging 
to an earlier and loftier dispensation than that of Sinai. He is at once the 



254 The Bible Study Manual. 

unchangeable Priest and the sinless sacrifice. And this change of Priesthood 
involves a change of the Law, and the introduction of a New Covenant, and an 
entrance into the true archetypal sanctuary which God made and not man. 

Having thus in the first eight chapters shown the superiority of Christ to all 
those to whom was entrusted the dispensation of the Mosaic Covenant, he pro- 
ceeds, secondly, in the ninth and tenth chapters, to show the vast superiority of 
this New Covenant as the fulfilling of the shadowy types and symbols of the 
Mosaic Tabernacle, and as having rendered possible — not by the impotence of 
repeated animal sacrifices, but by the blood of Christ once offered — a perfect 
purification from sin. Under the New Covenant as under the Old there is sin 
and the need of expiation, and therefore in the New Covenant as in the Old there 
is a Temple, a Sacrifice, and a High Priest — only that these are not temporary, 
but eternal; not human, but Divine. — Farrar : Early Days, pp. 191, 192. 

CHRIST SUPERIOR TO ANGELS. 

§ 763. The Opening and Foundation of the Argument. The manner in 
which the writer here introduces his subject is not only full of majesty, but it also 
goes straight to the point. In a tone which reminds lis of the Christology of the 
Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians he sets forth the supreme exaltation of 
Christ as Light of (i.e., from, ek) Light and very God of very God — as the 
enthroned exalted Purifier from sin. He specifies particularly his superiority to 
Angels. The necessity for doing this points not so much to those seductive 
influences of Essene speculation against which St. Paul argues in his Epistle to 
the Colossians — for here there seems to be no danger of the worship of Angels 
— but rather to the Judaic boastings that their fiery Law was uttered by the 
mediation of Angels on Mount Sinai, and must therefore be superior to any 
teaching of man. The exaltation of Angels was, both at this period and long 
afterwards, a tendency of Jewish thought. . . . 

It was necessary, therefore, to show that Christ was not a mere man whom it 
was idolatry to adore, but that he was above all the heavenly Principalities and 
Powers; and even more than this — that men themselves, by virtue of Christ's 
work, were more concerned than Angels in the aeon of future glory. That Jesus 
was the Christ and the Son of God, he does not need to prove, because he is 
writing to those who had accepted Him as their Messiah; but it was necessary to 
show that this Messiah was Divine, and that even the angelic heralds of Sinai 
shrank into insignificance in comparison with His eternal and final work. — 
Farrar: Early Days, p. 194. 

CHRIST'S PRIESTHOOD PERMANENT, AND HIS SACRIFICE 

COMPLETE. 

§ 764. Contrast between the First and the Last Sacrifice for Sin. Christ 
entered the true holiest place by His own blood. He offered Himself. The 
High-priest is the sacrifice. Under the old covenant the victim must be "without 
spot." But the high-priest was not without blemish, and he offered for himself as 
well as for the errors of the people. But in the offering of Christ, the spotless 
purity of the Victim ensures that the High-priest Himself is holy, harmless, unde- 
fined, separate from sinners. For this reason it is said (Heb. 9 : 14) that He offered 
Himself " through an eternal spirit," or, as we should say in modern phrase, 
" through His eternal personality." He is the High-priest after the order of 
Melchizedek; and Pie invests the sacrifice with all the personal greatness of the 
High-priest. Is Pie "without beginning of days or end of life"? So also His 
sacrifice abides for ever. His power of an indissoluble life belongs to His atone- 
ment, Is Pie untouched by the rolling stream of time? His death was of 



Libraiy Extracts on Lesson 45. 255 

infinite merit in reference to the past and to the future, though it took place 
historically at the end of the ages. His eternal personality made it unnecessary 
for Him to sutler often since the foundation of the world. Because of His 
personal greatness, it sufficed that He should suffer once only and enter once into 
the holiest place. The eternal High-priest in one transitory act of death offered 
a sacrifice that remains eternally, and obtains for us an eternal redemption. . . . 

The brute life, dragged to the altar, little knowing that its hot blood is to be a 
propitiation for human guilt, is contrasted with the blood of the Christ (for there 
is but one), Who, with the consciousness and strength of an eternal personality, 
willingly offers Himself as a sacrifice. Between these two lives are all the lives 
which God created, human and angelic. Yet the offering of a beast in some 
fashion and to some degree appeased conscience, unillumined by the fierce light 
of God's holiness and untouched by the pathos of Christ's death. With this 
imperfect and negative peace, or, to speak more correctly, truce, of conscience is 
contrasted the living, eager worship of him whose enlightened conscience has 
been purified from spiritual defilement by the blood of Christ. Such a man's 
entire service is worship, and his worship is the ministering of a priest. He 
stands in the congregation of the righteous, and ascends unto God's holy hill. He 
enters the holiest place with Christ. He draws near with boldness to the mercy- 
seat, now the very throne itself of grace. — Ediuards : Hebrews, pp. 156-158. 

§ 765. The Relation of Christ to Mosaic Ritualism. [The method of 
argument in this epistle added] greatly to the inherent effectiveness of the line of 
controversy. It involved an Irony of the most finished kind, and in the original sense 
of the word. There was nothing biting and malicious in the irony, but it resembled 
the method often adopted by Socrates. Socrates was accustomed to put forward 
the argument of an opponent, to treat it with the profoundest deference, to discuss 
it with the most respectful seriousness, and all the while to rob it step by step of 
all its apparent validity, until it was left to collapse under the weight of inferences 
which it undeniably involved. In this Epistle, though with none of the dialecti- 
cal devices of the great Athenian, we are led by a somewhat similar method to a 
very similar result. We see all the antiquity and glory of Mosaism. The Taber- 
nacle rises before us in its splendour and beauty. We see the Ark and the 
Cherubim, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the golden pot of manna, and the 
wreaths of fragrant incense. We see the Levites in their white ephods busy with 
the sacrificial victims. We watch the High Priest as he passes with the blood of 
bulls and goats through the sanctuary into the Holiest Place. We see him come 
forth in his "golden apparel " and stand before the people with the jewelled Urim 
on his breast. And while the whole process of the solemn and gorgeous ritual is 
indicated with loving sympathy, suddenly, as with one wave of the wand, the 
Tabernacle, its Sacrifices, its Ritual, and its Priesthood seem to have been reduced 
to a shadow and a nullity, and we recognise the Lord Jesus Christ far above all 
Mediators and all Priests, and the sole means of perfect, confident, and universal 
access to the Inmost Sanctuary of God's Presence ! We have, all the while, been 
led to recognise that, by faith in Christ, the Christian, not the Jew, stands forth 
as the true representative of the old traditions, the child of the glorious fore- 
fathers, the predestined heir of the Eternal Realities. 

And thus the Epistle was equally effective both for Jews and Christians. The 
Jew, without one violent wrench of his prejudices, without one rude' shock to his 
lifelong convictions, was drawn along gently, considerately, skilfully, as by a 
golden chain of fine rhetoric and irresistible reasoning, to see that the New Dis- 
pensation was but the glorious fulfilment, not the ruinous overthrow, of the Old; 
the Jewish Christian, so far from being robbed of a single privilege of Judaism, 
is taught that he may enjoy those privileges in their very richest significance. So 



256 The Bible Study Manual. 

far from being compelled to abandon the viaticum of good examples which had 
been the glory of his nation's history, he may feed upon those examples with a 
deeper sympathy : and so far from losing his beneficial participation in Temples 
and Sacrifices, he is admitted by the blood of the only perfect Sacrifice into the 
inmost and the eternal Sanctuary of which the Temple of his nation was but a 
dim and perishable sign. — Farrar : In Cambridge Bible, Hebrews, pp. 19, 20. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 766. The Qualifications of a Perfect Mediator. A perfect mediator or 
high priest, between God and man must be both God and man. God — in order 
that he may be able to understand the recoil of an infinitely holy Being from sin 
and a race of sinners; man — in order that by putting himself in man's place he 
may experience alike the power of temptation and the weakness of human nature, 
and thus be able to sympathize fully with the sinner. Such a mediator is found in 
Jesus Christ, and aside from him there is and can be no other. 

§ 767. The Value of Sin-offerings. The Old Testament sacrifices, though 
or4ained of God, possessed no inherent efficacy. Since the life was supposed to 
be contained in the blood, the pouring out of the sacrificial blood was merely an 
expression of the sinner's consciousness that his own life was forfeited, and that it 
could be redeemed only by the substitution of an innocent life which in the eyes 
of a holy God would atone for, or " cover," the transgressor's guilt. This innocent 
blood was then temporarily accepted in place of the blood of that perfect Sacrifice 
which not only covers but cancels sin. 

§ 768. Human Priests and Sin-offerings no Longer Needed. A priest 
is one who offers a sacrifice. But as Christ's sacrifice is forever complete, there is 
no further need of sacrifices, and hence no need of priests. The Christian minister, 
therefore, is only what the word implies, the servant of the church in spiritual 
things. The Roman Catholic church still calls its ministers " priests," because they 
claim, in the sacrament of the " mass," to offer up again the body and blood of 
Christ. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Critical and Historical Questions Raised by the Epistle to the 
Hebrews : Ency. Brit., vol. xi, Art., " Hebrews, Epistle to the ; " Smith's Diet. Bib., 
New Ed., Art, "Hebrews, Epistle to the;" and Commentaries on the Epistle. 
2. Authorship and Style of the Epistle: Cambridge Bible, Hebrews, Int., 
chs. 4, 6 ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, ch. 15. 3. THEOLOGY OF THE EPISTLE : 
Cambridge Bible, Hebrews, Int., ch. 5 ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, ch. 16. 
4. The New Covenant : Edwards, The Epistle to the Hebrews, pp. 158-179. 



Lesson 46. — THE LAST WOEDS OF JOHN. Walking in Light and 
Abiding in Love. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 
§ 769. Design of the Lesson. To show as far as possible the time, place, 
and occasion of the three epistles of John, their leading ideas, and their relation 
to the time when they were written. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 46. 257 

§ 770. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Note first of all what 
may be gathered from the scattered hints in the New Testament, and from tradi- 
tion (in so far as this seems at all trustworthy) concerning the life of the apostle 
John from his last recorded appearance in Jerusalem until his death. 

(2) Call attention to the probable date of these epistles, the place where they 
were written, the persons addressed, and the purposes for which they seem to have 
been produced. 

(3) Describe the leading characteristics of the Cerinthian heresy, and point out 
expressions in the first epistle that seem to prove that the writer had this heresy in 
mind, and that it strongly colored his thought and language. 

(4) Note the three fundamental ideas in the first epistle, two of which, light 
and love, are taken up in the lesson; show what John means by them, and how 
they are also the fundamental ideas in his gospel. 

(5) Show, furthermore, how in John's thought walking in light and abiding in 
love are the essential characteristics of the new life of those who through faith in 
the incarnate Son of God have become children of the light and sons of God. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO 1, 2 and 3 John. 

§771. The Life of John from his Departure from Jerusalem to his 
Death. The traditions of a later age come in, with more or less show of likeli- 
hood, to fill up the great gap which separates the Apostle of Jerusalem from the 
Bishop of Ephesus: It was a natural conjecture to suppose that he remained in 
Judaea till the death of the Virgin released him from his trust. When this took 
place we can only conjecture. There are no signs of his being at Jerusalem at 
the time of St. Paul's last visit (Acts, ch. 21). The Pastoral Epistles set aside the 
notion that he had come to Ephesus before the work of the Apostle of the 
Gentiles was brought to its conclusion. . . . 

Assuming the authorship of the Epistles and the Revelation to be his, the 
facts which the N T. writings assert or imply are — (1) that, having come to 
Ephesus, some persecution, local or general, drove him to Patmos (Rev. 1:9); 
(2) that the seven Churches, of which Asia was the centre, were special objects 
of his solicitude (Rev. 1 : 11); that in his work he had to encounter men who 
denied the truth on which his faith rested (1 Jo. 4: 1; 2 Jo., vs. 7), and others 
who, with a railing and malignant temper, disputed his authority (3 Jo., vss. 9, 
10). If to this we add that he must have outlived all, or nearly all, of those 
who had been the friends and companions even of his maturer years — that this 
lingering age gave strength to an old imagination that his Lord had promised him 
immortality (Jo. 21 : 23) . . . that from some who spoke with authority he 
received a solemn attestation of the confidence they reposed in him (Jo. 21 : 24) 
— we have stated all that has any claim to the character of historical truth. — 
Plumptrc : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "John, the Apostle," p. 1734. 

§772. The Epistles of St. John. (1) First John : To whom Written.— 
Falling back on the general opinion, we believe the Epistle to have been written 
not to any one church, but to a cycle of churches, mainly consisting of Gentile 
converts. This last seems shewn by the warning of ch. 5 : 21, combined with the 
circumstance that so little reference is made to O. T. sayings or history. 



258 The Bible Study Manual. 

It evidently also appears, that the Apostle is the spiritual teacher of those to 
whom he is writing. He knows their circumstances and various advances in the 
faith : the whole tone is that of a father in the faith. Such a relation, following 
as we surely must the traces furnished by ancient tradition, can only be found in 
the case of St. John, by believing the readers to have been members of the 
churches at and round Ephesus, where he lived and taught. — Alford : Greek 
Testament, vol. iv, 1 John, Prolegomena, p. 167. 

(2) Time and Place of Writing. — There is a considerable diversity of opin- 
ion as to the time at which the Epistle was written. . . . [Certain critics] fix a 
date previous to the destruction of Jerusalem . . . [while others] assign it to the 
close of the first century. This is the more probable date. There are several 
indications of the Epistle being posterior to the Gospel. " The Epistles," says 
Westcott, " give later growths of common and characteristic ideas." Like the 
Gospel, it was probably written from Ephesus. . . . And this conclusion is strength- 
ened by 4 : 3, which condemns the heresy of Cerinthus, whose headquarters were 
Asia Minor. — Meyrick : In Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art, " John, St., The 
First Epistle General of." 

(3) Occasion. — Mr. Browning has in his Death in the Desert caught the true 
occasion of the apostle's letter : it was written in view of the time when 

" There is left on earth 
No one alive who knew (consider this), — 
Saw with his eyes and handled with his hands 
That which was from the first, the Word of Life; 
How will it be when none saith ' I saw'?" 

It is the testimony of the last surviving eyewitness of the Lord, far removed 
from the scenes and words which he attests, giving, in view of rising error, — 
Gnostic and Docetic, — the apostolic judgment on questions of the day, and 
founding the truth of Christian doctrine on a recognition of the historical Christ. 
— Carr : In Ency. Brit., vol. xiii, Art., " John, the Apostle," p. 708. 

(4) Error Referred to in the Epistle. — The author himself represents it as 
characteristic of his time that liars appeared who denied that Jesus is the Christ; 
and he attaches such significance to this phenomenon that he regards it as the 
fulfilment of the prophecy of Antichrist. ... In the same way the antitheses in 
vs. 6 that these errorists denied the full incarnation of the eternal Son of God and 
hence the identity of the man Jesus with the heavenly Christ expressed in the 
author's view by the name " Jesus Christ," implies that they could at any rate 
admit that he came "by water," but not at all that he came " by blood." But 
this is nothing else than the teaching of Cerinthus according to which the heav- 
enly aeon Christ united at baptism with the man Jesus, but separated from him 
a<:ain before his death, which therefore does not at all amount to an actual 
incarnation and therewith to the perfect revelation of God in the historical life of 
Jesus. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 175, 176. 

(5) The Fundamental Idea in the Epistle. — To assume that the appearance 
of these errors was the proper occasion of the Epistle ... is at variance with its 
professed aim. The fundamental idea of the Epistle is, that the joy of the writer 
in his readers can only be complete, if the fellowship with God and Christ to 
which his preaching has led them, be proved in a Christian and moral life. . . . 

The author knows how often the Christian is not what he ought to be; his 
whole Epistle has no other aim than to show that without practical attestation of 
a knowledge of God, of fellowship with Him and sonship to Him, all is self-decep- 
tion and a lie. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 177, 185. 



Library Extracts on Lesson 46. 259 

(6) Purpose of Second John. — Apparently John had visited this Church some 
time previously. . . . At any rate, either by personal observation or by trust- 
worthy report, he had ascertained that a proportion of its members were adhering 
to the truth and living in its light. These he wishes to confirm, to warn against 
departure from the original and fundamental teaching of Christ. This he does 
because false teachers were going about, who did not confess " Christ coming in 
flesh," that is to say, who denied the proper humanity of Christ, teaching some 
form of docetism. With such teachers there was to be no intercourse. — Dods : 
Introduction, New Test., pp. 223, 224. 

(7) Purpose of Third John. — John writes this letter to express his satisfac- 
tion at [the hospitality of Gaius] . . . and to beg that the kind offices of Gaius 
may be continued, as these Christian brethren were again setting out to evangelise. 
. . . He would naturally have sent this letter to the Church, but a former applica- 
tion of the same kind which he had made to the Church had been intercepted by 
Diotrephes, and its appeal not only refused with contempt, but threats of excom- 
munication uttered against those who proposed to listen to it. . . . The letter 
gives a glimpse of the Christian Church in the closing years of the first century. — 
Dods : Introduction, New Test., pp. 224, 225. 

WALKING IN THE LIGHT. 

§773. God is Light. This is the substance of the "message." But Christ 
did not say so, although He called Himself the Light, Jo. 12: 12; 15:46; and 
speaks of the children of the Light (Jo. 8 : 36), even as James refers to the Father 
of the Lights, Jas. 1:17. But Christ, as the Son of God, is " the effulgence of 
his glory, and the very image of his substance " (Heb. 1:2), and this it is which 
John and his fellow Apostles (vs. 1) had heard, seen and gazed upon, so that the 
sum-total and centre of the message of Christ, as well as His personal manifesta- 
tion and revelation in the flesh, may truly be expressed in the words " God is 
Light." 

Christ reveals this, but no philosopher is able to find it; without Christ the 
wise men of the world pass it by. It is not a light, as Luther translates, as if 
there were other lights beside and out of Him. The Being of God is Light. 
Neither is it in the light, as if it were only surrounding Him, nor as the Light. It 
is not " according to similitude," but " according to substance." Light is His gar- 
ment (Ps., 104:2); Ezekiel (ch. 1) and Habakkuk (3: 3, ff.) beheld the glory 
of the Lord as fire, pure and bright as lightning. He is not only the Author of 
light, to whom belongs His first creative fiat (Gen. 1 : 3), but the Father of all 
light (Jas. I : 17), a mighty sphere of light surrounds Him (1 Tim. 6: 16); and 
the marvellous light wherein Christians walk is God's (1 Pet. 2: 9). — Braune : 
In Lange's Commentary, 1 John, p. 29. 

§ 774. The Light, and the Walking in it. [The statement that] " God 
is Light" is purely predicative, indicating the essence of God: just as when it is 
said in ch. 4: 8, " God is love." . . . [Light] unites in itself purity and clearness 
and beauty and glory, as no other material object does : it is the condition of all 
material life and growth and joy. And the application to God of such a predica- 
tive requires no transference. He is Light, and the Fountain of light material 
and light ethical. In the one world, darkness is the absence of light: in the 
other, darkness, untruthfulness, deceit, falsehood, is the absence of God. They 
who are in communion with God, and walk with God, are of the light, and walk 
in the light. . . . 

Notice that this walking in the light, as He is in the light, is no mere imitation of 
God, . . . but is an identity in the essential element of our daily walk with the 



260 The Bible Study Manual, 

essential element of God's eternal being : not imitation, but coincidence and 
identity of the very atmosphere of life. — Alford : Greek Testament, vol. iv, 
I John, pp. 426, 427. 

ABIDING IN GOD THROUGH LOVE. 

§ 775* John's Doctrine of Love. [In this epistle] the highest thing, to 
which the glance is directed, is rest in God who is fully revealed in Him [Christ] 
(1:5) and intuitively apprehended (2:4, 14) in His deepest essence, which con- 
sists in love (4: 8) and therefore draws us into this new life of love (4: 16). 
The dwelling and abiding of God in us corresponds to our dwelling and abiding 
in Him (3: 24; 4: 16), He gives us His spirit (3: 24; 4: 13), Himself working 
in us a new life; we are born of Him (4:7; 5:1), and may now be called His 
children; being of like nature with Him (3: 1, 10), we cannot do otherwise 
than love as He loves, the Father as well as the brethren (4: 19; 5 : 1). — Weiss : 
Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, p. 185. 

§ 776. God is Love. A sentence, which "is the summary and most simple 
expression of what the Scripture, the whole Scripture teaches throughout." . . . 
John treats in the most comprehensive manner, with perfect ease and certainty 
this most profound thought which would never have occurred to any thinker out 
of his own strength and reason ! The heavens declare the glory and majesty of 
God only, (Ps., 19). His word alone declares His grace. In nature we meet 
His handiwork, His power and Wisdom, in His word alone do we encounter His 
Love and Mercy. The axioms " God is a Spirit " (Jo. 4 : 24), and " God is Love " 
set forth the most vital truths concerning the Nature and Being of God. — " Spirit 
is His Nature, Love His Life," or Spirit is the Substance only in His attitude. — 
Braune : In Lange's Commentary, I John, p. 146. 

§ 777. Abiding in Divine Love through Brotherly Love. — Brotherly love 
is and remains the measure of our life from God, from whom comes all love; he 
that abides in God, cannot be without love, and he that is without love cannot be 
in God, nor can God abide in him. He, who is Love, has thus ordained it Him- 
self; it is His Will, His explicit commandment, even as it is in conformity with 
His Nature. — Braune : In Lange's Commentary, 1 John, p. 147. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 778. The Purity that God Desires. Since light is opposed to darkness it 
follows that God, who is light, that is, perfectly free from every suspicion of im- 
purity, cannot tolerate darkness, or sin, in any of his creatures. Those who would 
please him must, like himself, be pure in every thought and action. 

§ 779. Light Loved by the Good, but Hated by the Evil. Those who 
are pure in their lives not only do not fear to have their most secret thought and 
actions brought to the test of the light, but are anxious to do so, in order that all 
men may see that there is no evil way in them. Those on the contrary who are 
false or corrupt at heart, however fair they may seem externally, dread and hate 
the revealings of the light, because they do not want men to know what they 
really are. 

§ 780. The Light that Shines in the Heart. Men may be able to shroud 
their inner lives in darkness from their fellow-men who can only discern the out- 
ward appearances, but not from God who shines into the innermost recesses of 
every soul. With him mere external virtue passes for nothing. 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 47. 261' 

§ 781. Being Like God in Love. As children resemble their parents, so 
should those who are born of God resemble him. Especially, since love is the 
very essence of God r s nature, should the children of God be those in whom love is 
the inspiring motive and ruling power of life. Only through love can we learn to 
know God. 

§ 782. The Love of God, the Basis of True Philanthropy. The love of 
God forms the only secure basis of an intelligent and sympathetic love for our 
fellow-men. We shall love them, because he loves them; be patient with them, 
because he is longsuffering; seek by every means to benefit not only those who 
are kind to us, but those who revile and persecute us, because he lets his sun shine, 
his rain fall, and his innumerable blessings descend upon the evil and upon the 
good. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. The Picture of John as Painted in Tradition: Smith's Diet. Bib., New 
Ed., Art., "John, the Apostle," pp. 1734, 1735. 2. The Character of John as 
Portrayed in the New Testament: Ibid., pp. 1735, 1736. 3. Parallel Pas- 
sages IN 1 John and the Gospel OF John: Lange's Commentary, 1 John, Int., 
pp. 8, 9. 4. "Relations and Circumstances of the Churches Addressed in 
1 John: Ibid., pp. 12, 13. 5. Analysis of the Contents of i John: Ency. 
Brit., vol. xiii, Art., " John, Epistles of," p. 708 ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, ch. 
34. 6. " By Water and Blood" : Ibid., pp, 561-567. 



Lesson 47. -THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCHES AS RE- 
FLECTED IN THE GOSPELS. The Relation of the 
Gospels to the Apostolic Age. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 783. Design of the Lesson. To show the conditions under which our 
present gospels were produced, the purposes for which they were written, and the 
extent to which they bear the impress of the age that gave them to the church. 

§ 784. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Call attention to the 
uncertainty respecting the dates of these gospels, especially the first three, and the 
consequent difficulty of coordinating them with any definite events in a period that 
is in itself exceedingly obscure. 

(2) Emphasize sharply the meaning of the term " gospel " in the first century, 
as distinguished from later usage; indicate how from the constant repetition of 
this " substance " (see § 785) of our Lord's life there sprang up an oral tradition, 
which in the course of time was committed to writing in a variety of forms, and 
that some such document now lost seems to have been the foundation, in part at 
least, of the first three, or synoptic gospels. 

(3) Note the reasons that led to the production of our four gospels, and how 
these became established as authoritative, while all earlier attempts in the same 
direction perished. 

(4) Call attention to what seems to be the underlying purpose of each of these 
gospels, and the relation of each to its time; especially to the fact that the most 



262 The Bible Study Manual. 

important contribution which they furnish to the history of the last thirty years of 
the first century is the light they throw on the manner in which the churches were 
then apprehending the significance of Christ's person and work. 

(5) Show, finally, that whatever may have been the external conditions that led 
to the composition of the four gospels, the aim of the writers was in no instance 
to serve literary or historical ends, but the practical needs of the church. 



LIBRARY EXTRACTS. 
PRELIMINARY. 

§785. Meaning of the Term " Gospel " in the First Century. Till 
the end of the first century, and probably till the time of Justin Martyr, the 
'Gospel' uniformly signifies the substance and not the record of the Life of Christ. 
The Evangelist was not the compiler of a history, but the missionary who carried 
the good-tidings to fresh countries; the bearer and not the author of" the message. 
Timothy was charged to fulfil the work of an Evangelist ; and Evangelists are 
enumerated by St. Paul with Apostles and Prophets and Teachers among the 
ministers of the Church. — Westcotl : Introduction to the Gospels, p. 168. 

§ 786. How the Oral Gospel Grew up in Jerusalem. Twelve men, who, 
during His public ministry, attended Him day and night on His journeys, whom 
He himself had called and trained for His witnesses, remained from thirty to forty 
years in Jerusalem at the head of the oldest Christian community; this community 
consisted for the most part of former disciples of Jesus, and counted among its 
members His nearest of kindred. In this circle began the appeal to the words of 
the Lord concerning the burning questions of the community's life, of the King- 
dom of God and its duties, of His relation to the law and the authority of the 
Jewish people, of His second coming and the end of the world. The recollection 
of individual items supplemented and corrected each other. Also single incidents 
from His life were recalled, when He had spoken an especially significant word; 
this was not done for the purpose of relating in all details that which so many had 
heard and experienced, but to give these simple, golden words a frame and hang 
them in the halls of the community's memory. They came back repeatedly to 
these memoirs for edification. There was no interest taken in completing them, 
but in inculcating them as the unchangeable foundation of the life of the com- 
munity. — Weiss: In Hartford Seminary Record, April, 1895. 

§ 787. Why the Written Gospels were Produced. The demand for a 
written record of the life and doctrine of Jesus and his apostles arose from two 
causes; (1) the nature and fate of all oral tradition, which, as it spreads, con- 
tinually gathers legendary additions and embellishments, till it becomes at last 
impossible to distinguish with certainty the original substance ; (2) the danger of 
willful distortion, with which Judaizing and Gnostic errorists threatened the gospel 
even during the life-time of the apostles, as the warnings in the epistles of Paul 
and John and the many apocryphal gospels afterwards circulated abundantly prove. 
— S chaff : Apostolic Church, p. 591. 

§ 788. How our Four Gospels Came to be Received as Authoritative. 

Acknowledging, then, that no Gospel earlier than the Canonical is now extant, 
we have to ask, Did the Church formally select our four from the mass of evan- 
gelical tradition; and was it in consequence of the pre-eminence given to these 
by the force of authority that the others then disappeared? Not so: it is a 



Library Extracts on Lesson 4.7. 263 

remarkable fact that we have no early interference of Church authority in the 
making of a Canon; no Council discussed this subject; no formal decisions were 
made. The Canon seems to have shaped itself; . . . this non-interference of 
authority is a valuable topic of evidence to the genuineness of our Gospels; for 
it thus appears that it was owing to no adventitious authority, but by their own 
weight, that they crushed all rivals out of existence. Whence could they have 
had this weight except from its being known that the framers of these Gospels 
were men of superior authority to the others, or with access to fuller information. 
— Salmon : Introduction, New Test., pp. 108, 109. 

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK. 

§ 789. The Oral Basis of Mark's Gospel : The Testimony of Papias. 

The earliest account of the origin of a ' Gospel ' is that which Papias has given 
on the authority of the Elder John. Papias was himself a ' direct hearer ' of this 
John, and John was a ' disciple of the Lord' (if the text of Papias be correct), 
or at any rate contemporary with the later period of the Apostolic age. ' This 
also the Elder used to say. Mark having become Peter's interpreter wrote accu- 
rately all that he remembered {or that he [Peter] mentioned) ; though he did not 
[record] in order that which was either said or done by Christ. For he neither 
heard the Lord nor followed him; but subsequently, as I said, [attached himself 
to] Peter, who used to frame his teaching to meet the wants [of his hearers], but 
not as making a connected narrative of the Lord's discourses. So Mark com- 
mitted no error, as he wrote down some particulars just as he recalled them to 
mind {or as he [Peter] narrated them). For he took heed to one thing, to omit 
none of the facts that he heard, and to make no false statement in [his account 
of] them.' 

This most important testimony notices the three points on which stress has been 
already laid, the historic character of the oral Gospel, the special purpose with 
which it was framed, and the fragmentariness of its contents; and it was on such 
an oral basis that our present Gospel of St. Mark is said to have been founded,, 
according to the evidence of one who must have known the Apostles. — Westcott : 
Introduction to the Gospels, pp. 180, 181. 

§ 790. Papias's Testimony Confirmed by Internal Evidence. We are 
led, by internal evidence solely, to what Papias stated had been communicated to 
him as a tradition, viz. that Mark in his Gospel recorded things related by Peter; 
but we must add, not Mark alone, but Luke and Matthew also — only we may 
readily grant that it is Mark who tells the stories with such graphic fulness of 
detail as to give us most nearly the very words of the eyewitness. To this Renan 
bears testimony. He says: ' Mark is full of minute observations, which, without 
any doubt, come from an eyewitness. Nothing forbids us to think that this eye- 
witness, who evidently had followed Jesus, who had loved Him, and looked on 
Ilim very close at hand, and who had preserved a lively image of Him, was the 
Apostle Peter himself, as Papias would have us believe.' — Salmon : Introduction, 
New Test, p. 138. 

§791. The Relation of Mark's Gospel to its Time. This Gospel is not 
by any means a purely historical work, but it is written with a religious object and 
adapted to the needs of the Church. Its didactic aim, however, has nothing to 
do with dogmatic questions or with the antitheses of the Apostolic age. The fact 
that the only long discourse which it gives is the one respecting the second 
coming, shows unanswerably that its chief aim was to strengthen hope in the 
second coming of Jesus . . . [at] a time when the declining hope of the second 
coming was in urgent need of reawakening on account of the apparent postpone- 



264 The Bible Study Manual. 

ment of that event; and it became necessary to show how even in the facts of His 
earthly life, apart from His glorious return, Jesus had sufficiently attested the 
Messianic character of His mission. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, 
pp. 245, 246, 262. 

THE GOSPEL. ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 

§ 792. The Origin of Matthew's Gospel. It is not certain that we possess 
this Gospel in its original form. The testimony of the early Church is unanimous 
that Matthew wrote originally in the Hebrew language; and some confirmation is 
lent to this opinion by the fact that there are indications that he wrote his Gospel 
with special reference to exerting his influence upon the Jews, and from the state- 
ment of at least one of the fathers that he belonged to the Jewish party in the 
Christian Church. On the other hand, doubt is thrown over this opinion, both by 
an examination of the statements of the fathers, and by a consideration of pecu- 
liar forms of language employed in the Gospel itself. The question is unsettled, 
the best scholars not agreeing in their judgment concerning it. If there was a 
Hebrew original, it disappeared at a very early age. The Greek Gospel which we 
now possess was, it is almost certain, written in Matthew's lifetime, and it is not 
at all improbable that he wrote the Gospel in both the Greek and Hebrew 
languages. — Abbott : Commentary, Matthew, Int., p. 49. 

§ 793- The Relation of Matthew's Gospel to its Time. The Gospel is 
not written for the purpose of taking part in current disputed questions, but is 
meant to explain how the sending of the Messiah who was destined to be the 
king of Israel and called to re-establish the Messianic kingdom in Israel, fulfilling 
its law and promise, had nevertheless led to the gathering of a Messianic Church 
essentially composed of Gentiles, living solely in accordance with the commands 
of their exalted Lord and yet appearing as heirs of the prerogative of Israel. — 
Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, p. 285. 

THE GOSPEL, ACCORDING TO LUKE. 

§ 794. The Origin of Luke's Gospel, as Stated in the Prologue. 

Apart from tradition, the preface with which St. Luke opens his Gospel throws a 
striking light upon its composition. The words have been made the subject of 
the most varied controversy, though the true sense seems to lie upon their surface. 
Both in the description which he gives of other ' Gospels,' and in the peculiar 
character which he claims for his own, St. Luke appears to confirm the views 
already given of the prevalence and nature of the unwritten Gospel of the first 
age. The common basis of the Evangelic narratives is said to be the oral tradi- 
tion of those who from the beginning (cf. Acts I : 21, 22) were eye-witnesses and 
ministers of the word. 

The two elements in the Apostolic character which have been already pointed 
out, personal knowledge and practical experience, are recognized by St. Luke as 
present in those who originally handed down the history which many attempted 
to draw up and arrange afresh in a connected shape. The work of these unknown 
first Evangelists was new only in form and not in substance. The tradition which 
they incorporated in a narrative was not peculiar to themselves, but was common 
to all; for the common belief was independent of these written records. St. 
Luke speaks of the ' attempts ' as of something which had no influence at the 
present. The facts had been fully believed apart from the evidence of such docu- 
ments. Theophilus was already instructed in the zvords of the exact truth of 
which St. Luke wished to assure him ; and his instruction was derived not from 
books, but from that oral teaching which is described by the same term from the 
first foundation of the Church (Acts 18 : 25; I Cor. 15 : 19; Gal. 6:6). 



Library Extracts on Lesson 47. 265 

So far then the statements of St. Luke corroborate in the fullest manner the 
view which has been taken of the origin of written Gospels. The narrative was 
the embodiment of the oral accounts: the facts were co-ordinate with the toord : 
the work of the Evangelist was arrangement rather than fresh composition: the 
subjects with which he dealt were at once matters of firm conviction and ordinary 
instruction. The grounds on which St. Luke rests his own narrative involve the 
same principles. It is evident at first that he represents his Gospel as a faithful 
embodiment of the ' Evangelic tradition.' He finds no fault with the basis on 
which the earlier writers rested. His own determination is placed on an equal 
footing with theirs; but he claims for himself a knowledge of the Apostolic 
preaching continuous from the first, complete, exact; and for his writing a due 
order. — Westcott : Introduction to the Gospels, pp. 185-1S7. 

§ 795. The Pauline Character of Luke's Gospel. It is not strange that 
some of the Fathers, as was said, suspected that the apostle referred to Luke's 
writing, when he said " my gospel." The character and training of Luke led him, 
in providing for the satisfaction of the inquiries of Theophilus, to produce just 
such an account of Jesus Christ as is pre-supposed in all the Pauline doctrine of 
salvation. The indispensableness to all men of God's righteousness through faith 
in Jesus; the provision of salvation for all; and the free offer of it to all, — 
appear as distinctly in our Gospel as in the Epistle to the Romans. It is not, as 
has been sometimes represented, a Gospel specifically adapted to the Gentiles . . . 
still less, perhaps, is it for the Jews, although dwelling much on the teachings and 
institutions of the Old Testament. It refers to " the law" more' frequently than 
Matthew; Mark does not once name it. Particular expressions in unusual num- 
ber might suit the views of a Gentile, but others would please a Jew, even a 
Pharisee. As a whole, the writing was for neither, but for both. It was for and 
against Jew; for and against Gentile; because it was for the human race. — 
Bliss : In American Commentary, Luke, Int., p. 13. 

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN. 

§ 796. The Fourth Gospel, and the Final Break of Christianity with 
Judaism. Finally comes the time when the Christian church breaks the last 
bond which unites her to her Jewish-Christian past. The temple has lain for a 
decade in wreck and ruin; the people who had deliberately rejected the Messiah 
stand as the representatives of unbelief and hostility to Christ in universal history. 
The last of the Apostles live in Ephesus where he comes into the inheritance of 
the great Apostle to the Gentiles. The earthly life of the Lord, which he had 
witnessed, seems to him only the beginning of the terrible contest which the 
darkness of this world has waged and is waging against the light. 

As the history of this contest, in which the light comes off victor in spite of 
seeming defeat, John writes his Gospel, which first gives us an insight into the 
very inner movement of this universal tragedy. He supposes the other Gospels 
as known, — ratifying, enlarging, and where it is necessary, correcting them. 
The hoary Apostle recalls details in manifold form. His Gospel has already 
utterly stripped off the garment of contemporary life in which the figure of Christ 
moves in the Synoptics. John has raised his history out of the narrow, national 
grounds in which it rooted, and shows us the form of the World-Saviour as He 
moves through the history of the church. This Saviour dispenses the satisfying 
water of life to thirsty humanity, gives the light of the perfect divine revelation to 
those who are struggling in darkness for the final solution of all problems, and to 
those made prisoner by death He grants immortal life. 

Only the Beloved Disciple himself, who had lain on the Master's breast and 
seen most deeply into His heart, could write His history as the record of his 



266 The Bible Study Manual. 

transfiguration, as the revelation of the Word become flesh which was in the 
beginning; but John could witness out of his inmost experience how, in this 
history, the Eternal and Imperishable had entered into this perishable world, 
opening for it the way out of the bondage of sin and death into life and 
salvation. — Weiss : In Hartford Seminary Record, April, 1895. 

§ 797. The Relation of John's Gospel to the Cerinthian Heresy. 

That the fourth Gospel does not properly aim at historiography, appears from the 
circumstance that it assumes a knowledge on the part of the readers of the 
Evangelical history in general, as well as of many individual details. . . . The 
object of his [John's] choice of narratives is the confirmation of faith in the 
Messiahship of Jesus in his sense, i. e. in His eternal Sonship to God, which leads 
to perfect blessedness. This doctrinal aim certainly implies that he believed faith 
in the Son of God or the incarnate Logos to be endangered or needing confirma- 
tion in his circle; and the Epistle so closely connected with the Gospel shows 
that it was Cerinthian Gnosis to which this was due. . . . The danger threatening 
the true faith in emerging Gnosis can alone have been the occasion which 
prompted him in presenting and illustrating the leading particulars in the life of 
Jesus, to make his own testimony as an eye-witness the basis of proof that the* 
Divine glory of the incarnate Logos had appeared in Christ, and in victorious 
struggle with the unbelieving world had brought the highest blessedness to all 
believers. — Weiss : Introduction, New Test., vol. ii, pp. 376-378. 

SUMMARY. 

§ 798. The Gospels Written, not for Literary, but Practical Ends. 

[Some have] considered the Gospels as if they were dry chronicles, where each 
writer expressed whatever he knew or could learn of the life of Jesus. But they 
are not this at all. Our Gospel of Matthew shows, by its references tt» the Old 
Testament, how it will strengthen the faith in Jewish-Christian circles that Jesus is 
the Messiah promised by the prophets. Luke, according to his 'preface to The- 
ophilus, proposes to narrate only the things which he has found out, in order to 
confirm the teaching which Theophilus had received from Paul. John says abso- 
lutely without ambiguity that he is bearing witness to the divine majesty of the 
Eternal Word become flesh, which he had seen in Christ, in order to lead men to 
the faith that this Jesus is the Eternal Son of God in whom men have everlasting 
life. Of Mark alone can it be said, perhaps, that he narrated for the pure purpose 
of narration, that he took pleasure in the description of single events as such; 
yet his Gospel is surely written for the purpose of edification and teaching, although 
not for historical ends. . . . 

The Gospels . . . show us how the Apostles apprehended these facts [the deeds 
and words of Jesus] in faith and attested their truth for the foundation and 
increase of the faith of the churches. — Weiss : In Hartford Seminary Record, 
April, 1895. 

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

§ 799- The Gospels the Source of our Knowledge of Christ. The only 
reliable knowledge which the world possesses of the historical Christ is derived 
from his immediate disciples, or from those who obtained their information from 
them. Christ neither wrote down his teachings himself, nor apparently took any 
ordinary means to have them committed to writing. It is highly improbable that 
any notes were taken by those who heard them. However they have been pre- 
served, the world is convinced that in our four gospels we possess a truthful 
record of the work and words of our Lord. This follows from the absolute impos- 



Editorial Notes on Lesson 48. 267 

sibility of accounting for such a life as they describe, or for such teachings as they 
impart, on the ground of literary invention. To create such a life from pure 
imagination would require not one author, but four, each equal, if not superior, to 
the ideal which he has imagined. 

§ 800. The Growing Estimate of Christ through the Ages. The gospels 
show what a colossal estimate of Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God, the 
Saviour of the world, had already been attained in the primitive church. This 
conception of the person and work of Christ instead of losing its sharpness in the 
lengthening vistas of time, or diminishing in force and influence under the assaults 
of an unsparing criticism, has grown in magnitude and intensity with every 
passing century, until more and more it is coming to be the dominant power in 
the history of humanity. 

ADDITIONAL TOPICS, WITH LIBRARY REFERENCES. 

1. Theories as to the Origin of the Gospels : Salmon, Introduction, New 
Test., pp. 115-151 ; Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Gospels," pp. 1217-1229 ; Ency. 
Brit., vol. x, Art., "Gospels," pp. 789-812; Alford, Greek Testament, vol. i, Prolego- 
mena, pp. 6-12. 2. Dates Assigned to the Gospels in their Present Form : 
Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., "Gospels," p. 1241; Ency. Brit., vol. x, Art., 
" Gospels," pp. 812, 813. 3. Apocryphal and Heretical Gospels: Salmon, In- 
troduction, New Test., pp. 175-190. 4. The Process by which the Gospels 
became Canonical: Smith's Diet. Bib., New Ed., Art., " Gospels," pp. 1238-1240. 
5. The Original Language of Matthew's Gospel: Salmon, Introduction. 
New Test., pp. 152-174 ; Alford, Greek Testament, vol. i, Prolegomena, pp. 25-29. 6. 
Inspiration of the Evangelists : Ibid., pp. 15-21. 



Lesson 48. -KEVIEW OF PAET V: LESSONS 42-47; and a 
General Eeview of the Course. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 

§ 80 1. Design of the Lesson. Read carefully what is said in § 247, Lesson 
13, regarding the design of a review. The statements made there apply with 
equal force to this lesson. 

§802. Preparing and Teaching the Lesson. (1) Read also § 248, Lesson 
13, and apply the same to this lesson. 

(2) Let the teacher consider what is said in Note 101, Progressive grade, or 
Note 219, Intermediate grade, and decide whether one or two Sundays shall be 
given to this review. 

(3) Request the class to be prepared to state the contents of the Introductory 
Note to Part V in the Lessons (see Lesson 42), and also of the Introductory Note 
to this Lesson. The former gives the leading characteristics of the Period in- 
cluded in Part V, while the latter gives a summary of its entire history, all of 
which should be carefully studied. 

(4) If necessary, apportion these notes among the scholars to state their con- 
tents, and ask the class to make any additions that may be necessary to bring out 
all the facts referred to. Either by such statements, or by questions and answers, 
bring clearly before the class a general survey of the ground covered in Part V, 



268 The Bible Study Manual. 

(5) If the class or school is provided with a large map of Asia Minor, let some 
pupil point out the location of the Roman provinces mentioned in 1 Pet. 1 : 1, and 
the location of the seven churches addressed in Rev., chs. 2, 3. 

§ 803. Important Points to be Aimed at in the Review of Part V. (1) 

Make it a rapid survey of the entire period covered in Lessons 42-47. Call 
especial attention to the fact that our knowledge of this period is exceedingly 
meager. 

(2) The reasons for the obscurity that covers this period are three : (a) the 
lack of a trustworthy historical guide such as Luke gives in the Acts; (3) the 
lack of historical references in the general epistles that date from this period, so 
unlike in this respect the epistles of Paul; and (<:) the almost total silence of 
secular history concerning a movement which had not yet emerged into sufficient 
prominence to win more than a passing remark. 

(3) Show that the knowledge we possess of this period rests almost wholly on 
indirect evidence, difficult to formulate, and often still more difficult to interpret 
with confidence. 

(4) Observe that, notwithstanding this general obscurity, some hints concerning 
the condition of the churches may be gathered from the epistles of Peter, Jude, 
and John, and from the second and third chapters of the Revelation; from these 
sources we see that trials were experienced from persecutions and from errors both 
within and without the churches. 

(5) Show that the synoptic gospels, in so far as they shed any light on the 
period in which they were written, indicate that the churches in general had 
reached the same conception of the universal mission of Christianity which was so 
conspicuously emphasized in the teachings of Paul; and that the fourth gospel 
proves that by the end of the first century Christianity had completely broken with 
Judaism and was fully apprehending its lofty spiritual relations as a revelation 
of and from the incarnate Son of God. 

§804. The General Review of the Course. (1) If a separate Sunday is 
given to this portion of the review, which is most desirable, aim to bring out only 
the salient features of the history. 

(2) Run through the questions as rapidly as possible, omitting 17 for special 
notice as indicated in (5) below. 

(3) A large map would be a great assistance in tracing the journeys of Paul 
from place to place in answer to the questions on Part III. 

(4) After the survey of the history has been made call attention to a few of the 
evidences of divine power and guidance revealed in the history, and from these 
suggest encouragement and inspiration for our own times. 

(5) Request each member of the class to prepare and bring in a list of the 
books of the New Testament, as suggested in question 17. Differences of arrange- 
ment in these lists may then be noted and discussed as far as the remaining time 
permits, 



Full List of Books Referred to. 269 



FULL LIST OF BOOKS REFERRED TO. 



ABBOTT, Commentaries. Matthew. 1875. The Acts. 1878. Romans. 1888. New York: 
A. S. Barnes & Co. 

ALFORD, The Greek Testament. 4 vols. New Ed. Boston: Lee & Shepard. 1877. 

AMERICAN COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TEST., the Gospel of Luke. Philadel- 
phia: Am. Baptist Pub. Soc. 1884. 

ANTE-NICENE FATHERS. Am. Ed. Buffalo: Christian Literature Pub. Co. 

BEET, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians. 3d Ed. London: Hodder & 
Stoughton. 1885. 

BERNARD, The Progress of Doctrine. 4th Ed. London: Macmillan & Co. 1879. 

BLEEK, An Introduction to the New Testament. 2 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. 1876. 

BRUCE, St. Paul's Conception of Christianity. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1894. 

BUTLER, The Bible-Work: New Test. 2 vols. New York: The Butler Bible-Work Co. 1883. 

CAMBRIDGE BIBLE. The Acts. 1891. Romans. 1892. Galatians. 1890. Philippians. 
1889. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. 1891. Hebrews. 1883. James. 1879. 1 & 2 Peter, and 
Jude. 1879. The Revelation. 1890. Cambridge: University Press. 

CAMBRIDGE COMPANION, THE. Cambridge: University Press. London: C. J.Clay 
& Sons. 1893. (The page numbers in the Manual refer to the $1.25 Ed.) 

CONYBEARE AND HOWSON, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. 2 vols. New York: 
Scribner, Armstrong & Co. 1873. 

CO WLES, The Shorter Epistles. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1879. 

DELITZSCH, Messianic Prophecies. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Edinburgh: 
T. & T. Clark. 1891. 

DENNEY, The Expositor's Bible, The Epistles to the Thessalonians. 1892. The Second Epistle 
to the Corinthians. 1894. New York: A. C. Armstrong & Son. 

DODS, An Introduction to the New Test. New York: Thomas Whittaker. The Expositor's 
Bible, The First Epistle to the Corinthians. New York: A. C. Armstrong & Son. 1893. 

DOLLINGER, The Gentile and the Jew in the Courts of the Temple of Christ. 2 vols. Lon- 
don: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green. 1862. 

DRUMMOND, Addresses. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus. 1893. 

EADIE, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians. Lon- 
don: Macmillan & Co. 1877. 

EDWARDS, The Expositor's Bible, The Epistle to the Hebrews. New York: A. C. Arm- 
strong & Son. 1888. 

ELLICOTT, Commentary on St. Paul's Epistles to the Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon. 
Andover: Warren F. Draper. 1872. 

ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA. 9 thEd. 2 5 vols. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 
1878. 

EUSEBIUS, Ecclesiastical History. 2 vols. 

FARRAR, The Early Days of Christianity. Author's Ed. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 
1882. The Life and Work of St. Paul. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. 1880. 

FINDLAY, The Expositor's Bible, The Epistle to the Galatians. 1889. The Epistle to the 
Ephesians. 1892. New York: A, C. Armstrong & Son. 



270 The Bible Study Manual. 

FISHER, The Beginnings of Christianity. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1891. 
GLOAG, Commentary, The Acts of the Apostles. 2 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. 1870. 
GODET, Studies on the Epistles. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. 1889. 

HACKETT, Commentary, The Acts of the Apostles. New Ed. Andover: Warren F. Draper. 

1877. 

HANDY COMMENTARY, THE, The Acts of the Apostles. 3d Ed. London and New 
York: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. 1879. 

HELPS TO THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE. Oxford University Press. 

JAMIESON-FAUSSET-BROWN, Commentary, Old and New Testaments. 2 vols. Hart- 
ford, Conn.: S. S. Scranton & Co. 187 1. 

JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, and Wars of the Jews. Boston: Samuel Walker. 1849. 

LANGE, Commentaries, The Acts. 1869. 1 Corinthians. 3d Ed. 1869. 1 & 2 Thessalo- 
nians. 4th Ed. 1869. Philemon. 1869. 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. 1868. 1, 2 & 3 John. 
1868. New York: Charles Scribner & Co. 

LECHLER, The Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times. 2 vols. 3d Ed. Edinburgh: T. & T. 
Clark. 1886. 

LEWIN, Life and Epistles of St. Paul. 2 vols. 3d Ed. New York: Scribner, Welford & 
Armstrong. 1875. 

LIGHTFOOT, Biblical Essays. London and New York: Macmillan & Co. 1803. Commen- 
taries. Galatians. Andover: Warren F. Draper. 1870. Philippians. 2d Ed. London: 
Macmillan & Co. 1869. 

LUMBY, The Expositor's Bible, The Epistles of St. Peter. New York: A. C. Armstrong 
& Son. 1893. 

MACLEAR, A Class-book of New Testament History. London and New York: Macmillan 
& Co. 1890. 

MALLESON, The Acts and Epistles of St. Paul. London: Hodder & Stoughton. 1881. 

MAURICE, The Acts of the Apostles. London and New York : Macmillan & Co. 1894. 

MEYER, Commentaries. The Acts. 1883. 1 & 2 Corinthians. 1884. Galatians. 1884. 
Ephesians. Am. Ed. 1884. Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Am. Ed. 1885. 
1 & 2 Thessalonians. 1885. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. 
Edinburgh: T.& T.Clark. 1881. 

MILLIGAN, The Expositor's Bible, The Book of Revelation. New York: A. C. Armstrong 
& Son. 1889. 

MOORHOUSE, Dangers of the Apostolic Age. New York: Thomas Whittaker. 1891. 

MOULE, The Expositor's Bible, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans. New York: A. C. 
Armstrong & Son. 1894. 

NEANDER, History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church. New York: 
Sheldon & Co. Boston : Gould & Lincoln. 1869. 

OLSHAUSEN, Commentary on the Gospels, and on the Acts of the Apostles. 4 vols. 2d Ed. 
Edinburgh: T. & T.Clark. 1854. 

PLUMMER, The Expositor's Bible, The General Epistles of St. James and St. Jude. New 
York: A. C. Armstrong & Son. 

RAMSAY, The Church in the Roman Empire before a.d. 170. New York and London: G. P. 
Putnam's Sons. 1893. 

ROBERTSON, Sermons. New Ed. New York: Harper & Brothers. 

ROBINSON, Christian Theology. Rochester, N. Y. : E. R. Andrews. 1894. 

SABATIER, The Apostle Paul. New York : James Pott & Co. 1891. 

SALMON, A Historical Introduction to the Study of the Books of the New Test. 7th Ed. 
London: John Murray. 1894. 

SCHAFF, History of the Apostolic Church. New York: Charles Scribner & Co. 1870, 



Full List of Books Referred to. 271 

SCHAFF-HERZOG, Ency. of Religious Knowledge. 3 vols. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 
1882. 

SCHURER, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ. 2 vols. New York: 
Charles Scribner's Sons. 1891. 

SHUMWAY, A Day in Ancient Rome. Boston: D. C. Heath & Co. 1893. 

SMITH, A Dictionary of the Bible. 3 vols. (New Ed., Vol. I, Revised and Enlarged in 
two Parts.) London: John Murray. 1893. 

SMITH, A Dictionary' of the Bible. 4 vols. New York: Hurd & Houghton. 1876. 

SMITH, The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul. London: Longman, Brown, Green, & Long- 
mans. 1848. 

STALKER, The Life of St. Paul. New York: Am. Tract Soc. 

STEVENS, The Pauline Theology. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1892. 

STOKES, The Expositor's Bible, The Acts of the Apostles. 2 vols. New York: A. C. Arm- 
strong & Son. 1892. 

TAYLOR, The Life of Paul. Boston: D. Lothrop & Co. 1884. 

THATCHER, A Sketch of the History of the Apostolic Church. Boston and New York: 
Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 1893. 

WALLACE, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. New York: Harper & Brothers. 1880. 

WARREN, The Parousia: A Critical Study of the Scripture Doctrines of Christ's Second 
Coming. Portland, Me. : Hoyt, Fogg & Donham. 1879. 

WEISS, A Manual of Introduction to the New Testament. 2 vols. New York: Funk & 
Wagnalls. 1886. The Life of Christ. 3 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. 1883. 

WESTCOTT, Introduction to the Study of the Gospels. 5th Ed. London: Macmillan & 
Co. 1875. 

WILLIAMS, Studies in the Book of Acts. 2d Ed. New York: Thomas Whittaker. 1888. 

Remark. — Several of the books referred to are copyrighted, and our thanks are due to both 
authors and publishers for their courtesy in allowing us to use their works. We would also 
acknowledge our indebtedness to many foreign authors for valuable extracts from their books. 



Any of the above-mentioned books now in the market furnished at the lowest 
possible rates by The Bible Study Publishing Co., 21 Bromfield Street, 
Boston, Mass. [H. A. C. Bd. V.] 



272 



The Bible Study Manual. 



INDEX 

WITH PAGE REFERENCES. 



Acts, book of, author, etc., 3, 4; harmony 
with epistles, 150, 154; abrupt ending, 210. 

Agafous, famine foretold by, 66. 

iEneas, healing of, 58. 

Ananias, the high priest, 184, 185. 

Ananias, and Sapphira, sin and punish- 
ment of, 23, 26, 43. 

Anarchism, definition of, 23. 

Angels, guardian, 79; ministry of, 80. 

Antioch, of Pisidia, Paul's visit to, 84, 85. 

Antioch, in Syria, situation, etc., 63, 64; 
the church in, 64-67, 91, 94; Paul's rebuke 
of Peter at, 97. 

Antonia, Castle, 179, 180. 

Apocalypse, see " Revelation." 

Apollos, of Alexandria, 133. 

Apostles, imprisonment by Sanhedrin, etc., 
26-29. 

Appian "Way, 206. 

Aretas, and Paul, 53. 

Ascension, naturalness of, etc., 4, 5, 7. 

Athens, Paul in, 109, no. 

Barnabas, Saul vouched for by, 55; sent to 
Antioch, etc., 64-67; on first missionary 
journey with Paul, 82-92; separation from 
Paul, 99, 100. 

Bar-Jesus, and Sergius Paulus, 83. 

Beautiful Gate of temple, 16. 

Bercea, Paul and Silas in, 108. 

Csesarea, death of Herod in, 79; Paul at, 
172. 

Candace, queen, 42. 

Cerinthian Heresy, relation of John's 
gospel to, z66. 

Christ, how the death of, affects our relation 
to the law, 129, 130; the Head, etc., 139; 
conquerors through, 165; supremacy of, 
endangered by false philosophy, 215-217; 
revelation of the mystery of God's purpose 
in, 220, 221 ; Jews and Gentiles made one in, 
221; in the midst of his churches, 250; argu- 
ment concerning, in Hebrews, 253-256; 
source of our knowledge of, 266, 267. 

Christian, name 0^67; life of a, 123, 124; 
liberty, 128, 129; living hope of a, etc., 238, 
239- 

Christianity, remedy for world's ills, 24; 
conflict between Judaism and, 33, 95, 96, 
265, 266. 



Christians, early, 12, 13, 18, 19; origin of 
name, 65; social and moral condition of 
Jewish, 70-72. 

Church, conditions of membership in early, 
etc., 12; origin of communism in, etc., 20- 
22; first dissension in, 32; scattered by per- 
secution, 38; evils of union between, and 
state, 79; loss through factions, 142; unity 
of, 222 ; the living Christ in the, 250. 

Churches, the seven, of Asia, origin of, etc., 

249, 250. 

Claudius, banishes Jews from Rome, 113. 
Colossians, epistle to, etc., 213-217. 
Conscience, supremacy of, etc., 18, 182, 194. 
Conversion, essential facts in, etc., 49, 
56; different types of, 105; opportunity of, 
slighted, forever lost, 199. See " Salvation." 
Communism, origin of church, etc., 20-24. 
Corinth, description of, 112, 113; Paul in, 

112-115, 151, 152; the Christ-party at, 155. 
Corinthians, Paul's gospel to, 114; first 
epistle to, 137-148; second epistle to, defense 
of Paul's apostleship, etc., 151, 155-159. 
Cornelius, conversion of, etc., 59-61. 
Council, at Jerusalem, 94-98, 101. 
Cyprus, Paul in, etc., 82-84. 
Daphne, suburb of Antioch, 64. 
Death, comfort concerning, etc., 124, 136, 

227, 233. 
Demetrius, at riot in Ephesus, 135. 
Diana, goddess, at Ephesus, 132, 133, 135. 
I Dorcas, raising of, 58. 
I Drusilla, wife of Felix, 190. 
I Elders, in the early church, 66, 67, 91. 
I Ephesians, epistle to, 218-222. 
i Ephesus, Paul's first visit to, 116; descrip- 
tion of city, etc., 131, 132; Paul in, 133-135; 
Paul's farewell to the elders of, i7r. 
j Epistles, of Paul, general structure, 121. 
Ethiopian Eunuch, conversion of, 41, 42. 

1 Faith, the one article of, in early church, 12; 
intellectual and saving, 42; and works, 72, 
129; excellence of, etc., 128, 130, 165. 

I Eestus and Paul, 193-197. 

j Felix and Paul, 190-193. 

! Forty Days, the, 4. 

I Galatians, epistle to, 125-129; Paul's last 
visit to, 131. 



Index, with Page References. 



273 



Gallio and Paul, 115. 

Gamaliel, advice of, etc., 28, 29. 

Gentiles, Jewish prejudices toward, silenced, 
61 ; establishment of a church among, at 
Antioch, 63-65; council at Jerusalem con- 
cerning, 94-97; first persecution by, 103; 
excluded from inner courts of the temple, 
179; Jews and, made one in Christ, 221, 222. 

Gifts, diversity of, etc., 144-148. 

Graces, the three Christian, 122, 148. 

Gnostic heresy, 215, 216. 

God, man's instinctive craving after, in; all 
increase from, 142; the "called" of, 165; 
kept by the power of, 240; is light, 259; is 
love, 260, 261. 

Gospel, fullness and freeness of the, 13; race 
antipathies removed through the, 40; power 
of the, 67. 

Gospels, relation of the, to apostolic age, 
262-266. 

Herod Agrippa I> persecution by, etc., 76, 
77; death of, 79, 80. 

Herod Agrippa II, Paul before, 197-199. 

Hebrews, epistle to, 251-256. 

Holy Ghost, see " Spirit, Holy." 

Ieonium, Paul's work in, 88. 

Idols, concerning things sacrificed to, 140, 
141. 

Incarnation, heathen vs. Christian concep- 
tions of, 92. 

James, brother of John, 77. 

James, brother of the Lord, epistle of, 68- 

72; in the council at Jerusalem, 96, 98. 
Jason, Paul at house of, 107. 
Jerusalem, collection for the saints in, 153, 

154, 178; capture of, 246. 
JeSllS, see " Christ." 
Jews, banishment of, from Rome by Claudius, 

113; plot of, in Corinth against Paul, 152, 

153; uproar by, against Paul in Jerusalem, 

177-181; plot of, to Assassinate Paul, 186, 

187; Paul and the, in Rome, 208, 209. 
John, Peter and, coworkers for Christ, 15; 

before the council, 17, 18; visit of Peter and, 

to Samaria, 40, 41 ; the Revelation of, 246- 

250; later life of, 257. 
John, epistles of, 1 John, 257-260; 2 and 3 

John, 259; gospel of, 265, 266. 
John Mark, return from first missionary 

journey, 85. 
John the Baptist, disciples of, rebaptized 

by Paul, 133. 
Judaism, exclusiveness of, 32, 33; conflict 

between Christianity and, 33, 95, 265. 
Judas Iscariot, death of, 6. 
Judas, insurrection of the Galilean, 29. 
Jude, epistle of, 241, 242, 244. 
Julian Laws, 107. 
Justification, doctrine of, 163, 165. 



Law, Mosaic, 94; insufficiency of, 98; liberty 

and, 128, 129. 
Liberty, Christian, Paul's defense of, 128, 

129. 
Light, spiritual, 259, 260. 
Lot, use of, by the apostles, 6. 
Love, special harmony conditioned on, 36; 

Paul's eulogy of, 145-148; John's doctrine of 

God as, 260, 261. 
Luke, gospel of, 264, 265. 
Luke, probably companion of Paul, 101, 102; 

left at Philippi, 104; with Paul at Corinth, 

152; and also at his death, 232. 
Lysias, captain of guard over Paul, 187, 188. 
Lystra, Paul in, 89, 90. 

Macedonia, Paul's call to, 101; liberality of 
church at, 153. 

Magianism, origin, etc., 39. 

Mark, gospel of, 263, 264. 

Matthew, gospel of, 264. 

Matthias, choice of, as an apostle, 6. 

Miracles, healing of lame man at Beautiful 
Gate, 15, 16; not needed now, 19; punish- 
ment of Ananias and Sapphira, 23, 24; effect 
of apostolic, 26; healing of Apneas, 58; 
raising of Dorcas, 58; a cripple restored at 
Lystra, 89; purpose of the apostolic, 92; 
healing of the demoniac slave girl by Paul, 
102, 103; raising of Eutychus at Troas, 168, 
169. 

Missionary journeys of Paul, re'sume' of 
first, 91, 92, 174; of second, 116, 117, 174, 
176; of third, 176. See " Paul." 

Missionary work, true motive in, 86; per- 
sonal responsibility for, 104, 105. 

Mosaic law, source of Jewish opinion re- 
garding permanence of, 94. 

Nationalism, principles of, 22, 23. 

Nero, worship of, vs. worship of Christ, 225; 

burning of Rome, and persecution by, 230; 

suicide of, 233. 
Nazarite vow, and its fulfillment, 179. 
Onesimus, conversion of, etc., 210, 211. 

Papias, testimony of, concerning Mark's gos- 
pel, 263. 

Parousia, time of, 123. 

Paul, first mention iof, 36; life of, before con- 
version, 44-46; conversion, 47,48; prepara- 
tion for future work, 52-56; in Antioch to 
aid Barnabas, etc., 64, 65, 67; first mission- 
ary journey, 81-92; in council at Jerusalem, 
94-97; second missionary journey, 99-117 
(epistles: 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 120-124; 
Galatians, 125-129) ; first part of third mis- 
sionary journey, 131-135 (first epistle to Co- 
rinthians, 137-148) ; second part of third mis- 
sionary journey, 150-153, 168-173 (epistles: 
2 Corinthians, 151, 155-159; Romans, 161- 
165) ; from last arrival in Jerusalem until de- 
parture from Caesarea, 177-199; journey to 
Rome, 201-206; a prisoner at Rome, 208- 



*74 



The Bible Study Manual. 



210, 225-227 (epistles: Philemon, 210-212; 
Colossians, 213-217; Ephesians, 218-222; 
Philippians, 223-227) ; probable movements 
after his release, 229-231 (epistles: 1 and 2 
Timothy, 228-230, 232; Titus, 228-231); 
second imprisonment and martyrdom, 231- 
233- 

Pentecost, events of the day of, 8-12. 

Persecution, source of first, 14, 15; church 
scattered by, 38; Neronian, 230. 

Peter, his address at Pentecost, 10, 11; heal- 
ing of lame man, etc., 15-17; defense before 
Sanhedrin, 27,28; visit to Samaria, 40, 41; 
first meeting with Paul, 55; visit at Joppa, 
etc., 58-61; miraculous deliverance from 
prison, 77-79; in council at Jerusalem, 96; 
dispute with Paul, 97; tradition of residence 
in Rome, and martyrdom there, 235, 236; 
influences that shaped his life, 237. 

Peter, first epistle of, 236-239. 

Peter, second epistle of, 242-245. 

Pharisees, belief of, 26,27; Herod's attitude 
toward, 76. 

Philemon, epistle to, 210-212. 

Philip, preaching of, in Samaria, 39. 

Philippians, epistle to, 223-227. 

Prayer, ten days of, 6; power of, 80; why so 
little answer to, 80; for guidance always 
answered, 86; answered by refusal, 160. 

Prison, Roman guard of, 78; Paul in, 225, 
231, 232. 

Prophecy, language of, 11; gift of, 65, 66, 
147, 148. 

Proselytes, Jewish, 41. 

Rabbis, schools of, in Jerusalem, 45, 46. 

Revelation, book of, 246-250. 

Rome, Paul's desire to visit, 162, 163; Paul 
a prisoner at, 208-210, 225-227, 231-233; 
burning of, 230. 

Roman church, character of, etc., 161, 162. 

Roman prison guard, 78. 

Romans, epistle to, 161-165. 

Sabbath, origin of observance of first day of 
week as the Christian, etc., 169, 173. 

Sadducees, belief of, 26. 

Salvation, not possible through law, 48; 
God's method of, 49. See " Conversion." 

Samaria, the gospel in, 39-41. 

Sanhedrin, composition of, etc., 17, 18, 184; 
Peter's defense, before, 27, 28; apostles 
scourged by, 29, 30; Paul before the, 183- 
186. 



Saul, see " Paul." 

Scourging, Jewish mode of, 29, 30. 

Second Coming of Christ, 4, 5; Peter'suse 
of, 17; teachings concerning, 122-124. 

Sergius Paulus, and Bar-jesus, 83, 84. 

Seven, appointment of the, 32. 

Silas, with Paul in Philippi, 102-104; in 
Thessalonica, 106, 107; in Bercea, 108, 109; 
in Corinth, 114. 

Simon, the sorcerer, 39-43. 

Simon, the tanner, 58. 

Sin-offerings, value of, 256. 

Social theories, modern: socialism, state so- 
cialism, nationalism, anarchism, 22. 

Spirit, Holy, outpouring of, 8-1 1 ; relation to 
spirit of man, etc., 13; gift of, to Samaritans, 
40; guide to truth, 62; influence of, over 
apostles, 81 ; Paul led by, to Macedonia, 
101; limit of leading of, 104; help of, 164, 
165. 

Spirits, " discernment of," 144. 

Stephen, ministry, arrest, etc., 32-37. 

Suffering, mission of, 160; no shame in, as a 
Christian, 239, 240. 

Sympathy, need and power of, 118; springs 
from personal experience, 239. 

Synagogues, Jewish, in Jerusalem, 32. 

Tarsus, birthplace of Saul, etc., 44. 
Temple, Beautiful Gate of, 16; Gentiles re- 
stricted in, 179. 

Tertullus, the lawyer, against Paul, 191, 

192. 
Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd epistles to, 

120-124. 
Thessalonica, Paul in, 106-108; the city of, 

121. 
Theudas, insurrection of, 29. 
Timothy, circumcised, 100; companion of 

Paul, 102, 104, 114, 152; epistles to, 228-230, 

232. 
Titus, with Paul at Corinth, 152; epistle to, 

228-231. 
Tongues, gift of, 10, 147, 148. 
Troas, Paul at, 102, 168-170. 

Unity, of Christians, 144, 145; of the church, 
219, 221, 222. 

Works, faith and, 72, 129. 
"Worship, of early believers, 12, 13; primi- 
tive forms of, 20 ; disorder in public, 148. 






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